ASTRO America hosts stakeholder meetings for Guam Additive Materials & Manufacturing Accelerator project

The Applied Science and Technology Research Organization of America hosted an on-island working meeting to further hone its proposed approach to a so-called Guam Additive Materials & Manufacturing Accelerator. 

This public-private partnership of key academic institutions, the Guam government, and U.S. Navy will create a new advanced manufacturing education and technology center and new high-skill job opportunities on-island.

GAMMA aims to both promote U.S. national security and put in place resources that will help grow a high-tech industry in Guam over the long term. 

Melanie Mendiola, CEO and Administrator of the Guam Economic Development Authority, delivered the keynote address on the significance of an industrial 3D printing capability on Guam that will position the island as a manufacturing and training hub for a growing U.S. shipbuilding supplier base in the region.

In July, ASTRO America delivered an implementation plan to build the on-island center that will feature workforce development and education; component testing and evaluation; and manufacturing business incubation and support. As has been detailed previously, the center is expected to be fully running in three years with a satellite campus of a leading mainland U.S. engineering university operating on Guam and helping confer relevant degrees and certificates to students in concert with other on-island institutions.

“Guam remains one of our nation’s foremost locations for U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific. GAMMA aims to enhance their access to parts and supplies that may otherwise be difficult to source quickly in a remote area,” said ASTRO President, Neal Orringer. 

“Through this initiative, we are putting in place advanced technology and a strong talent pipeline that will deliver on-demand part production at our forces’ point-of-need,” said Orringer. 

While in Guam, ASTRO America’s GAMMA team visited several officials from the U.S. Government, University of Guam, Guam Community College, and Guam Economic Development Authority. 

Overall progress was made in identifying potential facility locations and infrastructure needs as well as crucial next steps for curriculum development and organizational agreements.