EMPOWERING CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION
The I90 Conference 2025
EMPOWERING CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION
By Mark Norton— Northwest I-90 Manufacturing Alliance( NIMA)
The Northwest I90 Manufacturing Alliance held another successful annual conference this May on the shores of beautiful Lake Coeur D’ Alene, Idaho. Even with some of the current headwinds of tariffs and global uncertainty, we had record attendance from across the Northwest, Canada, and the Continental U. S.
Mark Norton
Executive Directpr NIMA nimalliance. org
NORTHWEST I-90 MANUFACTURING ALLIANCE
The scope of the conference has changed in recent years— our group has expanded its focus beyond just the aerospace industry into all advanced manufacturing sectors. With a regional scope covering Eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana, many of our members work in other markets in addition to aerospace— e. g. medical, energy, robotics and others. Part of our program this year included a panel that was comprised of tech hub and industry leaders in photonics, quantum, nuclear, tech and biotech. The conversation touched on the similar challenges that we all faced, whether it was around skilled workforce, integration of automation and tech, policy advocacy, etc.
One of the reasons that we continually advocate for cross-sector collaboration is not only to join forces on the common challenges that we face as market verticals, but also to explore the strengths of shared knowledge. Increasingly— especially in aerospace— we are borrowing from adjacent technology areas to make better products and create better infrastructure for our supply chain.
• Photonics technology and quantum materials are exponentially going to increase the computing speed of intelligent systems in airport operations and next-gen aircraft. Increasingly, laser vision systems are also changing the landscape of commercial aviation as well as influencing vision systems in the battlefield with intelligent airborne drone fleets.
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