Innovators and researchers continually push the frontiers of technology to invent, redesign, and enhance the methods by which our technological wonders are being conceived and developed in the burgeoning domain of advanced manufacturing. This industry’s most distinguishing feature is that it succeeds in combining cutting-edge machinery with the current processes and systems inside manufacturing businesses in order to remain competitive and right at the forefront of the global market. To put it another way, the ultimate purpose of advanced manufacturing is to merge science and technology with new-age production methods.
And in this complex field of manufacturing technology, perhaps no one is more suitable and well-equipped to represent the ideas behind it than Dr. Dean Bartles. With a remarkable life-long experience of over 40 years in industrial management, production, and innovation, Dr. Bartles is among the world’s leading authorities in the advanced manufacturing sector.
Currently the Chief Executive Officer of Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group, Inc. (MTDG), a company dedicated to expanding the scope of advanced manufacturing in the U.S. and around the world.
Dr. Bartles’ invaluable expertise in the field stems from his distinguished background of accomplishments and awards. His drive for knowledge, creativity, and innovation came to prominence during his academic years. He holds a Masters degree in International Business from Tampa College and a Ph.D. in Technology Management from Indiana State University where he specializes in Manufacturing Systems.
Shorty after leaving academia, Dr. Bartles began his career in advanced manufacturing as an industrial engineer at the Fairchild Defense Company. His ambition and thirst for innovation drove him towards General Dynamics Corporation, a defense aerospace company, where he oversaw the design, creation, and production of a number of manufacturing facilities, namely in Turkey and the United States.
After decades of holding several other major positions at different advanced technology companies, in 2020 Dr. Bartles settled as the president and CEO of MTG, a parent corporation for both the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) and Advanced Manufacturing International, Inc. (AMI).
During an insightful interview with Dr. Bartles, we had the privilege to hear him go in great depth into the sort of ideas and principles behind his work at MTGD. His main concern, he explained, is to help small-to-medium manufacturers (SMM’s) grow and stabilize their sales, production, and innovation systems in order to be able to compete at the U.S. and global scale.
Perhaps what is most captivating about the interview is how passionate Dr. Bartles is about addressing the toughest and most “threatening” challenges present today in the field of advanced manufacturing:
Retooling: A Big Hurdle for SMM’s:
When we talk about advanced manufacturing, “retooling” means to equip the manufacturing facilities (factories) with new, more advanced technologies of production (machinery). This presents significant difficulties for smaller companies as it requires enormous amounts of money to accomplish. The result is SMM’s become slower and slower in their integration in the global competition, therefore negatively affecting the sector of advanced manufacturing as a whole. Dr. Bartles founded Advanced Manufacturing National (AMI), a subsidiary of MDGT, to assist SMMs in retooling their companies using the finest technology at a reasonable cost.
Cybersecurity: Addressing a Real Threat
Another important issue Dr. Bartles raised during the interview is cybersecurity. Often overlooked, or at least not properly addressed, cybersecurity is a real threat that can cause enormous damage to the stability and integrity of a company. When you have machines connected to the cloud (internet) constantly pouring out endless streams of collected analytical data, the risks of exploitation, theft, and sabotage are incredibly high. To combat this, Dr. Bartles at AMI offers SMM’s the latest high-end encryption and tokenization technology methods at a low cost to ensure that data and machines are both cyber-secure and safe from breaching and exploitation.
