September 28, 2005
Purdue reaches out to South Bend, Elkhart with advanced manufacturing assistance
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University will take its advanced manufacturing summit on the road and reach out to companies in the South Bend area with messages on improving technologies, work force development, and the ways in which higher education can help Indiana companies grow and prosper in the changing economy.
|
The second regional Advancing Manufacturing Summit will take place from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Oct. 6 on the campus of Indiana University South Bend in the University Center's Hoosier/Indiana Room. The summit, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Purdue's College of Technology and Center for Advanced Manufacturing.
The summit focuses on three main topics:
• state and federal funding opportunities,
• developing and licensing new technology, and
• work force development.
Panel discussions will be led by local, state and national economic leaders and faculty from Purdue, University of Notre Dame, Ivy Tech Community College and Sinclair Community College.
"An important part of Purdue's mission is to engage the entire state of Indiana," said College of Technology Dean Dennis R. Depew. "South Bend, Elkhart and the surrounding areas have specific economic needs, and the summit will allow us to learn more about those needs and how university resources can help meet them. The College of Technology is already working with this part of the state through our location in South Bend, and we will continue to serve as a gateway to the rest of Purdue."
The keynote speaker at the summit's luncheon will be William A. Strauss, a senior economist and economic adviser for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, who will present "The Disappearance of Manufacturing?"
John P. Sullivan, director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing in Discovery Park, said the summit is designed for manufacturers, elected officials, economic development leaders and educators from South Bend, Elkhart and the surrounding areas of Indiana and Michigan.
"There is a perception in Indiana that manufacturing is dying," said Sullivan, also a professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. "That simply isn't true. Manufacturing is evolving, and the companies that evolve with it will not only survive, but also thrive. Advanced manufacturing technology makes manufacturing more productive, more efficient and more profitable. Ultimately, it also makes us more globally competitive."
Purdue officials worked with area leaders, including the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph's County and Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce, as well as other local colleges and universities to craft the summit to the needs of businesses and the community, including a heavy emphasis on work force development opportunities.
The summit's goals are to discuss industry needs among Indiana manufacturing leaders and Purdue administrators and faculty, and to connect businesses with the university for research and product and process improvements. In addition, Sullivan said, business owners and managers can network with each other and discuss common problems and possible solutions.
Purdue has held four such summits at its West Lafayette campus and in February held the first regional summit in New Albany. Since then, Depew said, Purdue has seen a surge in the number of companies looking for ways to improve their operations by working with the College of Technology, Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Technical Assistance Program and other Purdue offices.
For example, the South Bend and Elkhart areas have specific needs relating to the recreational vehicle, prosthetics and automotive industries, said Mark A. Curtis, College of Technology South Bend/Elkhart location director.
"College of Technology faculty members have continually worked with local companies on a wide range of projects," said Curtis, also a professor of computer graphics technology. "One project has dealt with helping a company change its drafting techniques from a manual to a digital process. Computer technology professors have helped local companies with security issues. There is a wide range of business problems that Purdue experts can help Indiana companies address."
Purdue's Center for Advanced Manufacturing will help companies with research projects of varying scope in any area of advanced manufacturing, whether they are projects for "two days, two weeks, two months, two years or 20 years," Sullivan said.
The center is working with a number of companies and organizations statewide, including the Indiana Hardwoods Association and Rolls-Royce. For the former, Purdue researchers have been developing cooling technologies to decrease wear on cutting blades, which leads to significant cost savings for furniture-making companies, as well as allowing more precise cuts, less noise and better tolerances. In total, the center has funded 22 projects since its founding last year.
Depew said that it is not enough to simply change the technology used for manufacturing. The shifting nature of industry will require new skill sets for employees. To that end, the College of Technology and the rest of the university will work with Indiana companies to provide education and training opportunities. Work force development is a major component of the college's engagement activities.
Approximately 17 percent of Indiana jobs are in the manufacturing sector, with an average annual wage of more than $42,000, compared to $27,000 annually in all other sectors. The number of jobs available in manufacturing, however, has dropped dramatically since 2000.
"Manufacturing jobs pay well, so we want to retain them," Depew said. "Indiana has a higher percentage of its population working in manufacturing than any other state in the nation, and the challenge is to update our manufacturing processes to make our companies more competitive."
Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu
Sources: Dennis R. Depew, (765) 494-2552, ddepew@purdue.edu
John P. Sullivan, (765) 494-1279, sulivan@purdue.edu
Mark A. Curtis, (574) 520-5560, macurtis@pusb.iusb.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Grant Robinson, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering technology from Leeds, England, uses a high-speed milling machine in one of Purdue's advanced manufacturing laboratories. Improving manufacturing processes will be one topic discussed at Purdue's second regional advanced manufacturing summit Oct. 6 in South Bend, Ind. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/adv-mfgr-tech2.jpg
To the News Service home page