Manufacturers across the Inland Empire are navigating a changing industrial landscape, from workforce shortages and rising energy costs to supply chain uncertainty and the growing cost of adopting advanced technologies.
A new partnership between UC Riverside’s Advanced and Integrated Manufacturing (AIM) Hub and the Manufacturers’ Council of the Inland Empire (MCIE) aims to help regional companies navigate those challenges while building stronger connections among industry, research, and workforce development.
MCIE is the AIM Hub’s inaugural industry partner, supporting the hub during its early development and its mission to strengthen advanced manufacturing throughout the Inland Empire.
For Wallace Brithinee, president of MCIE and a longtime UC Riverside alumnus and supporter, the partnership addresses a challenge he has observed throughout his work with manufacturers: Companies need access to new technologies, but adopting them can require significant investments of money and time.
In some regional surveys, Brithinee said, as many as 99% of manufacturers are classified as small or midsize businesses. Unlike larger companies, these firms may have fewer resources available to experiment with expensive technologies that ultimately may not meet their needs.
“The AIM Hub, in my opinion, offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase and educate manufacturers about manufacturing technology, enabling them to make well-informed choices without the risk of investing in expensive equipment that might not be the best fit for them,” Brithinee said.
Connecting manufacturers with technology and expertise
Led by founding director Kavan Hazeli, a professor of mechanical engineering at UCR, the AIM Hub is being developed as an ecosystem connecting advanced manufacturing research, education, and industry.
The hub will provide opportunities for manufacturers to engage with emerging technologies and concepts such as digital engineering and digital twins, which use virtual representations of physical products, processes, or systems to support testing, analysis, and optimization.
For Brithinee, providing manufacturers with opportunities to better understand and evaluate technologies before making major investments could help address a significant barrier to modernization.
His perspective is informed by decades of work with industry and government programs focused on energy efficiency and manufacturing practices. More recently, MCIE has worked to connect manufacturers with assessments and modernization roadmaps that help companies identify challenges, evaluate potential improvements, and prioritize investments.
Brithinee said manufacturers have responded positively to that type of direct assistance.
“They’re eager for such assistance,” he said. “People are looking for someone to help validate their plans or provide insights into the economic evaluations they need to make. They also want guidance on prioritizing their decisions.”
The AIM Hub could extend that model by creating new opportunities for companies to engage with UCR researchers, students, equipment, and technical expertise.
The partnership could also strengthen the region’s manufacturing workforce. Brithinee said even the most advanced manufacturing technologies will continue to require skilled people to implement and operate them.
Through exposure to advanced manufacturing technologies and the economic considerations behind industrial investments, UCR engineering students could gain a better understanding of the decisions manufacturers make while building connections with potential employers in the Inland Empire.
Giving regional manufacturers a voice
Brithinee has deep ties to both UCR and the Inland Empire’s manufacturing community. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from UCR, completing his Ph.D. in 1971, and has served on the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering Council of Advisors since approximately 2019.
During that time, he said the AIM Hub stands out for its direct focus on manufacturing.
“We haven’t seen anything so directly focused on aiding manufacturing as this new hub,” Brithinee said.
Brithinee personally provided seed funding to UCR on behalf of MCIE to support the AIM Hub’s early development. He said his intention is also for the region’s manufacturers to have representation on the AIM Hub’s advisory panel, giving industry a voice as the initiative develops.
That connection is particularly important to Brithinee because manufacturing can often operate outside the public eye despite its role in the Inland Empire economy. He envisions the AIM Hub becoming a visible and accessible place where manufacturers can see advanced hardware and software, participate in educational programming, and build relationships with UCR.
He would also like the partnership to create opportunities for MCIE to hold informational and educational meetings at the hub, further connecting manufacturers with the university and one another.
Ultimately, Brithinee sees the collaboration as an opportunity to help manufacturing businesses across the Inland Empire become more competitive and resilient.
“This is a fantastic chance to help the local industry,” Brithinee said. “When businesses succeed in making their operations survive and thrive, it benefits everyone.”
For MCIE and the AIM Hub, that shared goal provides the foundation for a partnership designed not simply to introduce manufacturers to new technology, but to connect the people, knowledge, and resources needed to put innovation into practice.