The 3rd annual Manufacturing Trends Luncheon will be held on Thursday, April 16 at the Dalton Golf and Country Club. Dr. Ben Wang, chief manufacturing officer of the Georgia Institute of Technology and executive director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute, will speak. His topic is “Manufacturing Innovation.”
Dr. Wang is responsible for the development of an integrated, campus-wide manufacturing innovation strategy and the execution of that strategy. He works closely with a team of professionals in business incubation, economic development, intellectual properties, technology transfer, and various engineering and science disciplines.
"With the world of manufacturing constantly changing, it’s important to stay up to date on new ways to streamline production," said Dr. Larry Johnson, dean of the School of Business at Dalton State. “We want to highlight the importance of manufacturing in our region. We want the community to be aware of the latest changes being made in manufacturing. This year, the 3rd annual Manufacturing Trends Luncheon, will focus more on technology. We’re honored to have Dr. Wang at this luncheon. Hopefully he will bring new perspective along those lines. He’ll give us insight in what they’re doing at Georgia Tech.”
Dr. Wang serves on the National Materials and Manufacturing Board, National Academies’ National Research Council, and is a fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, Society of Manufacturing Engineers and Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering. He’s also a member of two honor societies: Tau Beta Pi and Alpha Pi Mu.
Dr. Wang has participated in various meetings and discussions in the White House as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, of which Georgia Tech is a member. He was the co-chair of the first outreach conference for that group in 2011.
Dr. Wang is also known as a pioneer in the field of nano-materials, and his main area of research is in “buckypaper,” which is lightweight and durable. Because of his research in this area, Dr. Wang has spoken for many national groups including the U.S. National Research Council Review Panel in support of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative and the National Academies Committee on Manufacturing Extension Partnership. He also participated in a roundtable discussion on Strengthening Advanced U.S. Manufacturing in Clean Energy in the White House.
Dr. Wang has 15 items that have been patented and are licensed or are in discussions for sales. He has also authored or co-authored more than 220 journal papers and 150 conference articles. He has also authored three books: “Computer-Aided Manufacturing,” "Computer Aided-Process Planning,” and “Computer Aided Manufacturing PC Application Software.”
The luncheon is $15 per person. Those wishing to attend must register through the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, a sponsor of the event. Other sponsors are the Dalton State School of Business’ Center for Economic Research and Entrepreneurship, the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority, and the Dalton State Foundation.