Perspectives
FREEDOM FORGE The manufacturing laboratory at LIFT in Detroit’s Corktown district helps companies advance proprietary technology, qualify as defense contractors, and have access to trained professionals and students. BY DAN CALABRESE |
NICK HAGEN
I
f Detroit was the 20th century’s Arsenal of Democracy, its Corktown neighborhood may be the 21st century’s home of warfighter innovations. Detroiters may be surprised to learn that some of America’s most critical warfighting technologies are being accelerated in an impressive — but hardly audacious — building that rises above Rosa Parks Boulevard at Labrosse Street in the city’s oldest neighborhood. LIFT, short for Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, is a nonprofit organization established through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, academia, and private industry. Its multifaceted mission includes training workers for high-tech manufacturing jobs, advancing defense-related technology, and preparing more companies to deal in the technology that would qualify them as defense contractors.
FACTORY FLOOR Set in a former manufacturing center at Rosa Parks Boulevard and Labrosse Street in Detroit’s Corktown district, the LIFT facility offers everything from robots to CNC machines to 3-D printers for use by students, professionals, and veterans.
Inside the facility, machines are humming and workers are learning processes like electrical fabrications, materials engineering, and hydraulics. LIFT is about economic vitality and worker training, but the initial impetus was — and still is — advancing technology for national defense. Operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII), LIFT is part of a national network of 16 nonprofit organizations charged with “driving the U.S. mobility sector” to support technology development, workforce development, and, ultimately, a manufacturing sector that’s vibrant enough to support U.S. national security. Professionals, specialists, and students looking for training come to LIFT through academic partners. By signing up to be partners with LIFT, companies gain access to workers and technology resources, not to mention possible opportunities for defense contracts if the needs of the Pentagon align with their enhanced capabilities.
38 DBUSINESS || July - August 2023
038.Perspectives-Lift.Jul.23.indd 38
6/14/23 4:20 PM