Taking Y’town’s tech savvy on the road for world to see

Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley have long pumped rugged muscle into our nation’s military might. Most notably, tons and tons of Valley-produced steel nourished America’s arsenals throughout World Wars I and II.

Though most steelmaking plants in our region have long ago gone dark, Youngstown’s contributions to our national defense continue. They’ve just taken new shapes tailor-made for 21st century needs and applications.

One prime example of that transformation can be found tucked inside the Youngstown Business Incubator in downtown Youngstown. Applied Systems and Technology Transfer, better known AST2, is hitting the ground running – literally – with its Transportable Digital Fabrication Lab, nicknamed “The FabLab.”

The newest of four FabLabs – 34-foot trailers packed to the gills with Youngstown-built technology – took off from AST2’s warehouse on Logan Avenue this week en route to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in New Orleans.

The behemoths are veritable additive-manufacturing and 3-D printing factories on wheels designed to assist military maintenance battalions wherever duty calls.

The mobile labs will enable the military to save considerable time and money by manufacturing vital component parts on-site in jackrabbit-fast turnaround time. That’s a far cry from the horror stories over the years of long waits for a $700 toilet seat or a $2,000 screw.

RECORD OF SUCCESS

AST2’s track record of success in procuring government contracts belies its youth. Since its inception about 10 years ago, it has successfully worked with other federal government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA.

We applaud the brains and brawn behind AST2 and hope other startup tech companies inside and outside of the incubator take lessons from its achievements, most importantly the value of partnerships. Other institutions and programs provided fertile ground to help AST2 reap robust results. They include:

America Makes or the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. AST2 is a partner of NAMII, the state-of-the art additive-manufacturing consortium headquartered in Youngstown. NAMII, created by the administration of President Barack Obama in 2012, has energized the growth and diversification of additive manufacturing in our region and the nation.

Youngstown Business Incubator. AST2 is one of myriad success stories for the expanding downtown Youngstown campus that serves as a launching pad for software and 3-D companies in the Valley. It’s been rated the top university-affiliated business incubator of its kind in North America by UBI GLobal of Stockholm, Sweden.

The Historically Underutilized Business Zones program. This federal program encourages development in economically distressed business zones called HUBZones by providing access to more federal contracting opportunities.

To its credit, AST2 melded all of those attributes to help forge its success. It’s now putting Youngstown’s new status as a vibrant technology hub on the road for the entire nation to see. There’s little reason why other creative entrepreneurs cannot marshal the same resources to advance that success even farther.