You got no fear of The Underdog, that's why you will not survive. - SpoonYou might remember Illuminati Motor Works (IMW). They're the Illinois underdogs that are competing for the Automotive X PRIZE (AXP), a $10-million (US) prize for building a 100-mpg car. Against the odds, they made it past the initial round to "official" status. We wrote about this fantastic group of 5 Midwestern manufacturing messiahs a few months back.
IMW have little funding to speak of. They have even fewer sponsorships (which is to say, "none"). Like the best among us in manufacturing, they are fueled by equal parts of inspiration, passion, altruism, and a ton of smarts.
If you want to dig deeper into the personality of this group and get to know their motivations, check out their blog. If you read that and aren't convinced of their resolve and commitment, then you have a screw loose.
US manufacturing is in a state of flux right now. We are evolving at a swift pace toward an odd, unfamiliar landscape and set of rules. As we are forced to adjust to expanding supply chains and business acumen, something is getting lost that led the best of us to manufacturing in the first place:
The very personal passion for altering the physical world to make things that solve problems.IMW is outgunned. Their competitors have more money, more resources and heavyweight sponsors.
Give 'em a shout, some encouragement. Slip 'em a few bucks. Tell your friends about them.
The underdogs are usually where innovation is born. Let's help give 'em a fighting chance.
