President Obama tours the Linamar auto-parts plant in Arden, North Carolina, Feb. 13, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is satisfying a year-old pledge by announcing the creation of two Pentagon-led institutes that will combine public and private resources to foster manufacturing innovation.

One centre will be in Obamas hometown of Chicago; the other will be outside Detroit.

The Canton, Michigan, institute will focus on light metal manufacturing. The one in Chicago will concentrate on high-tech digital manufacturing and design.

Obama will announce the centres Tuesday at the White House.

The two institutes fulfil a promise in Obamas 2013 State of the unio speech to create three manufacturing hubs with a federal infusion of $200 million. He announced the first one in January _ an Energy Department-led project in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The institutes bring together companies, federal agencies and universities to work on technologies that can boost manufacturing.