Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund will award $10 Million in
grants over next five years; Grants latest milestone in Walmart’s
unprecedented $250 billion domestic manufacturing commitment
DENVER -- (Business Wire)
Walmart, the Walmart Foundation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors
(USCM), kicked off a new chapter in the modern American manufacturing
story today as the global retailer announced the first grant recipients
of the Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund’s $10 million
commitment at the 2nd U.S. Manufacturing Summit in Denver.
The summit is bringing together manufacturers suppliers, governors and
mayors from across 42 states.
Seven leading research and development institutions were awarded a total
of $4 million in grants to create new processes, ideas, and job creation
that will foster America’s growing manufacturing footprint. The fund,
which focuses on the development of domestic manufacturing with a
specific goal of advancing the production or assembly of consumer
products in the U.S., will provide a total of $10 million in grants over
the next five years.
“Innovation is part of the heart and soul of Walmart,” said Michelle
Gloeckler, Walmart’s executive president of consumables and U.S.
manufacturing. “By investing in American ingenuity originating
everywhere from the research lab to the assembly line, we can transform
our approach to manufacturing to be more cost-effective and efficient.
We can bring more jobs and more production back into American
communities.”
The grant recipients were selected for their ability to address two key
areas that currently present barriers to increased domestic
manufacturing:
-
Reducing the cost of textiles manufacturing, including home textiles
and apparel, in the U.S. by addressing obstacles throughout production.
-
Improving common manufacturing processes with broad application to
many types of consumer products.
“It’s only fitting to work with the nation’s largest retailer on this
initiative, a company that is committed to U.S. manufacturing and
creating more jobs to help boost the U.S. economy,” said Kevin Johnson,
President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and mayor of Sacramento. “The
projects recognized today are some of the best ways we’ve seen to bring
American manufacturing into the Cities 3.0 era, helping to create hubs
of innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology. Cities 3.0 is the next
era of the American city, where cities are becoming the laboratories and
incubators of change by supporting projects like the ones recognized
today."
The 2014 Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund grant winners are:
- Georgia Tech Research Corporation for innovation of
thread-count-based fabric motion control, a critical enabling
technology for the automated production of sewn goods.
- Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) to
advance and accelerate the industrial implementation of metal 3-D
printing for the manufacturing of plastic injection tooling as an
alternative to current metal-shaping practices.
- North Carolina State University College of Textiles to address
challenges to manufacturing of furniture cushions in the U.S. by
implementing new technologies in both fabric printing and cut-and-sew
automation.
- Oregon State University todevelop two novel alternative
mold fabricating approaches, and evaluate for functionality, precision
and cost reduction potential.
- Texas Tech University to support collaborative research on
cotton breeding and biotechnology, cotton production, and various
aspects of textile manufacturing, dyeing efficiency and specialty
finishes.
- University of Texas at Arlington to develop a novel
manufacturing system that will autonomously prepare small motor
sub-systems and assemble the motor components.
- University of Georgia Research Foundation to develop an
innovative approach to fabric dyeing that will greatly reduce, and
perhaps eliminate, the need for water in dyeing cotton and
cotton/polyester fabrics and yarns.
The Innovation Fund is another milestone in Walmart’s broader commitment
to help revitalize U.S.-based manufacturing. In January 2013, Walmart
announced the retailer would buy an additional $250 billion in products
supporting American manufacturing and American jobs by 2023.
Together, these commitments represent a significant investment that will
help accelerate the pace of U.S. manufacturing. By making production in
the U.S. more cost effective and efficient, the global retailer believes
it can bring American consumers an increasing number of American-made
products and ultimately create more jobs in communities across the
country.
For more information on Walmart’s commitment to U.S. manufacturing,
please visit http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/us-manufacturing.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save
money and live better – anytime and anywhere -- in retail stores,
online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 245
million customers and members visit our almost 11,000 stores under 71
banners in 27 countries and ecommerce websites in 10 countries. With
fiscal year 2014 sales of over $473 billion, Walmart employs more than 2
million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in
sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.
Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com
on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com
and http://www.samsclub.com.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live
better through philanthropic efforts. By operating globally and giving
back locally, Walmart is uniquely positioned to address the needs of the
communities it serves and make a significant social impact within its
core areas of giving: Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating, Sustainability,
Career Opportunity and Women’s Economic Empowerment. Walmart and the
Walmart Foundation are leading the fight against hunger in the United
States with a $2 billion commitment through 2015. Walmart has donated
more than 1 billion meals to those in need across the country. To learn
more about Walmart’s giving, visit foundation.walmart.com.
About The U.S. Conference of Mayors
The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan
organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are
nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented
in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. The primary
roles of the Conference are to promote the development of effective
national urban/suburban policy; strengthen federal-city relationships;
ensure that federal policy meets urban needs; provide mayors with
leadership and management tools; and create a forum in which mayors can
share ideas and information. www.usmayors.org
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Contacts:
Walmart Media Relations
Kayla Whaling, 800-331-0085
Source: Walmart
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