Greater Akron Chamber

Advanced Polymer and Manufacturing Excellence (APEX)

Project Description:

The Advanced Polymer and Manufacturing Excellence (APEX), led by the Greater Akron Chamber, will create accessible career pathways in the polymer sector. Northeast Ohio has been a manufacturing and polymer industry leader for over 125 years, yet it faces skilled worker shortages and gaps in training infrastructure, threatening global competitiveness. Polymers and polymer manufacturing have long played an important role in American innovation. Nearly 10% of all manufacturing jobs in the area are vacant, underscoring a need for a comprehensive workforce development strategy. APEX will leverage the work of the Polymer Sector Partnership, which includes employers, educational institutions, industry labs, and community and labor organizations, to design and implement sector strategies for training and placing workers into good jobs.

This project will advance the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub, which EDA designated as a Tech Hub in 2023. The Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub aims to tackle the climate and environmental impacts resulting from the use of fossil fuel-driven polymers (rubbers and plastics) through accelerating sustainable polymer manufacturing and commercialization in the United States.

Approximate Award Amount: $3,084,371

Lead (backbone) organization: Greater Akron Chamber (GAC)

Key Technology Focus Area (KTFA): Advanced materials science, including composite 2D materials and other next generation materials, and related manufacturing technologies

Anticipated Job Placements: 320

Industry: Polymers

Tech Hub: Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub