GD&T is one of those manufacturing skills that quietly affects almost everything: quality, communication, efficiency, inspection, and rework costs. For many Tennessee manufacturers — especially small and midsize operations — even a basic understanding of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing can make a noticeable difference on the shop floor.

As products, tooling, and customer requirements become more complex, manufacturers are expected to work from drawings and specifications with increasing precision. GD&T provides a standardized engineering language that helps eliminate ambiguity between design, machining, and inspection teams. When everyone interprets part requirements the same way, shops can reduce costly mistakes, improve consistency, and avoid unnecessary scrap or rework.

For suppliers working with automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, or advanced manufacturing customers, GD&T knowledge is becoming even more important. Many OEMs and Tier suppliers now expect teams to understand GD&T concepts as part of normal production and quality operations. Even companies that are not using advanced GD&T daily can benefit from understanding the fundamentals well enough to communicate more effectively with customers, vendors, engineers, and inspectors.

The value is practical. Better interpretation of drawings can help manufacturers improve first-pass yield, reduce inspection confusion, speed up troubleshooting, and support stronger quality systems overall. It also helps newer employees build confidence when working with technical documentation and production requirements.

To help Tennessee manufacturers strengthen these foundational skills, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Tennessee Manufacturers Association, and UT CIS are partnering to offer a one-day Introduction to GD&T course on June 25 in Cookeville. The session is designed to provide a practical introduction to GD&T concepts and how they apply in real manufacturing environments.