POTSDAM -- Clarkson University has received $140,000 from Alcoa Inc. to support research in the area of “smart manufacturing.”

The Alcoa Fellowship in Smart Manufacturing is a two-year program that runs through to the end of the 2013-2014 school year.

Smart manufacturing is an integrated data platform that helps enable collective innovation, improved decision-making and better results.

It utilizes information technology to enable data sharing throughout the entire manufacturing process and across an entire facility, unlike in the past where specific stages or operations of a manufacturing process were managed in isolation.

“Smart manufacturing is going to be key in driving future economic growth of the U.S. economy,” said Clarkson University President Tony Collins. “Clarkson University is excited to partner with Alcoa in pushing the knowledge and application of this field further.”

“Smart manufacturing allows companies to better understand the performance of their production processes, as well as the impact of business drivers on production results,” said Lance Fountaine, Alcoa’s manager of Global Primary Products Manufacturing Solutions.

“This leads to a higher level of manufacturing intelligence and better business decisions. The end result is a safer work environment with improved corporate sustainability.”

Smart manufacturing is a platform that can help retain jobs in the United States by keeping manufacturers competitive in the global marketplace.

Alcoa recently received a surprise honor for its smart manufacturing project in the form of the competitive Manufacturing Leadership High Achiever Award.