Roadmaps also include far-term elements so academics and others engaged in basic research will find the session useful. The Semiconductor Industry Association Roadmap is often held up as an outstanding example of an industry sector roadmap. Other sectors such as aluminum and forging have also created excellent industry roadmaps. The Office of Industrial Technology of the Department of Energy is encouraging other industry associations to assemble roadmaps, particularly those that relate to energy use. The manufacturing controls industry, however, has no industry association and no industry roadmap.
Manufacturing controls infrastructure and tool sets remain fragmented along sector lines.
The key activity of this workshop is the interactive, facilitated brainstorming of the last hour of the session. Introductory presentations will set the stage. Ideas from those presentations should get creative juices flowing in preparation. The brainstorming session will first list attributes of the anticipated end state, ten to fifteen years out. Participants will then be asked to identify key drivers, key technologies, and intermediate goal states.