Lt. Governor Receives Advanced Manufacturing Award at Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University's Center for Advanced Manufacturing presented Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman with the "Excellence in Manufacturing Innovation" award Tuesday (May 11) at its annual Advanced Manufacturing Summit.
"Lt. Governor Skillman has been a friend to the manufacturing sector her entire career as a public official," said John Sullivan, director of Purdue's Center for Advanced Manufacturing. "We appreciate her commitment to continue Indiana's strong manufacturing heritage even as the arena evolves."
While Indiana has worked to diversify its economic portfolio, manufacturing has remained a vital segment of the economy, Skillman told the audience. As head of Indiana's Office of Energy Development, the lieutenant governor has worked with companies that will manufacture the next generation of energy products, such as wind turbines, solar panels and cellulosic ethanol.
"We in state government do all we can to create a healthy business environment," Skillman said. "But the work of entrepreneurs and risk-takers, like I met today, is the reason Indiana has 11,000 manufacturing facilities that employ nearly 700,000 Hoosiers."
Purdue's Advanced Manufacturing Summit, now in its ninth year, focused this year on the critical role manufacturing networks play in strengthening existing firms and attracting emerging industry sectors to Indiana.
The Center for Advanced Manufacturing serves as the central point of contact at Purdue on a range of manufacturing issues, linking existing and emerging businesses with researchers on campus. The center's mission is to bridge basic academic research with specific industrial needs to enhance both the understanding and application of manufacturing concepts in Indiana.
In addition to the center, summit sponsors and supporters include the Access Technology Across Indiana Network (ATAIN), the Indiana Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Purdue's Technical Assistance Program, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, and Rolls-Royce Corp.
The daylong summit, titled Creating Connections: The Importance of Building Business Network, featured talks by industry, government, and academic leaders and included a debate by Purdue's debate team, Richard Petticrew Forum, on the benefits of electric vehicle subsidies.
Morning presenters were Purdue President France A. Córdova; Skillman; Chad Pittman, executive vice president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.; Keith Takasawa, director of product development for THINK North America; and Lawrence J. McShane, vice president and general manager, Evonik Degussa Corp. Tippecanoe Laboratories.
Afternoon sessions provided insights about digital manufacturing, educational opportunities in emerging vehicle technologies, and Conexus Indiana's growing web-based procurement portal "Indiana Supplier INsight."
Writer: Jeanne Norberg, 765-494-2096, jnorberg@purdue.edu