Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing Hosts U.S. Secretary of Treasury Jacob J. Lew

Richmond, VA – FEBUARY 4, 2014 — U.S. Secretary of Treasury, Jacob J. Lew toured the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) in Prince George County on January 31.  Following the President’s State of the Union address, his visit highlighted the importance of investing in high-tech manufacturing, innovation, and job training in order to promote real, lasting economic opportunity.  While touring CCAM’s facility, Secretary Lew heard directly from researchers, students, and business leaders about the need to increase access to workforce training and investments in research and development.

Dr. Keith Bourne, CCAM Manufacturing Process Engineer, described research being done on coating processes in the Laser Powder Deposition Booth to Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew. Pictured, (l to r): Dr. Keith Bourne, Manufacturing Process Engineer, CCAM; Dr. Bob Fagan, CCAM Chief Technology Officer; and Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew.

“To build on the progress we have made over the last five years, we have to continue to take action to help strengthen economic growth, create jobs, and restore opportunity for all,” Secretary Lew said.  “As I saw today, CCAM is at the forefront of expanding opportunity by bringing researchers, students, and business together to drive innovation and develop advanced manufacturing technologies.  It is also a powerful example of why this Administration’s focus on increasing job training, modernizing our education system, and creating manufacturing institutes is so important.”

Prior to touring CCAM, Secretary Lew visited with its members in a roundtable discussion.  Dr. Bob Fagan, Chief Technology Officer at CCAM saw the Secretary’s visit as an opportunity to showcase CCAM’s mission on a national platform.  “The Secretary was keenly interested in the discussion, particularly in both our workforce development as well as the research activities taking place here today.  Our members were also very pleased to be part of the engagement, to tell the CCAM story, their participation and the critical role it plays in the Commonwealth,” Fagan said.

Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew (l) meets CCAM Machinist, Johnny Capps (r)

As the President said in his State of the Union address, the administration’s top priority remains expanding job and economic opportunity for all.   To make sure the United States continues to be the best place on Earth to do business, the President has proposed launching four new manufacturing institutes in 2014, a government-wide review of federal training programs to help Americans get skills in demand for good jobs, and expanding apprenticeships by mobilizing business, community colleges and labor.

CCAM is based at a state-of-the-art facility in Prince George County, Va., that provides production ready advanced manufacturing solutions to member companies across the globe.  Members guide the research, leveraging talent and resources within CCAM and Virginia’s top universities through a collaborative model that enables them to pool research and development efforts to increase efficiencies.

CCAM industry and government members include Canon Virginia Inc., Chromalloy, Newport News Shipbuilding, Rolls-Royce, Sandvik Coromant, Siemens, Sulzer Metco, Aerojet, Hermle Machine Co., Mitutoyo, TurboCombustor Technology Inc., Buehler, Cool Clean Technologies, GF AgieCharmilles, Blaser Swisslube, Mechdyne, National Instruments, and NASA Langley Research Center.  CCAM academic members are Virginia State University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University.

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