The southeastern United States has become a new growth pole for the international automotive industry. To secure growth, employment and the regional competitiveness of the region, several local players are jointly relying on the Deutsche Messe Technology Academy concept: industrial knowledge transfer. In addition to the state of Tennessee, the Tennessee Manufacturers Association, the human resources development company Peak Performance Inc. and the Volkswagen Academy also support this concept.

This presence in one of the world’s most important industrial nations was planned for a long time. In October 2021, the Smart Factory Institute was ceremonially opened and has already begun operations.

Infrastructure and focal points in Tenneseee

The Smart Factory Institute Tennessee is providing the infrastructure for the institute. In terms of content, the Smart Factory Institute Tennessee will focus on seven topics:

• Systems Integration,
• Cloud computing,
• Collaborative Robotics,
• Additive Manufacturing,
• Augmented and Virtual Reality,
• Big Data & Analytics,
• Cyber Physical Systems.