February 16, 2005
Purdue takes advanced manufacturing summit to New Albany
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the first time, Purdue officials will take the university's advanced manufacturing summit on the road with a visit to New Albany and southern Indiana.
The advanced manufacturing summit will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 28 on the campus of Indiana University Southeast 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.
"An important part of Purdue's mission is to engage the entire state of Indiana," said College of Technology Dean Dennis R. Depew. "New Albany and the surrounding areas of southern Indiana 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 New Albany, and we will continue to serve as a gateway to the rest of Purdue."
John P. Sullivan, director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing, said the summit is designed for manufacturers, elected officials, economic development leaders and educators from southern Indiana and Louisville.
The summit will feature presentations about four ways area businesses can connect with Purdue research and facilities: the Center for Advanced Manufacturing, the Technical Assistance Program, the College of Technology and the college's New Albany location. Purdue President Martin C. Jischke also will address the summit about the importance of advanced manufacturing to Indiana's economic development.
Summit goals are to facilitate discussion about industry needs among Indiana manufacturing leaders and Purdue administrators and faculty, and to connect businesses with the university for research and other forms of assistance. Each presentation will feature interaction with attendees, and the afternoon session will be geared toward industry leaders telling Purdue what they need to move their manufacturing operations into the future.
Purdue has held three such summits at its West Lafayette campus, and Sullivan said there are tentative plans for other regional events in cities including Evansville, Richmond and Fort Wayne that can address issues specific to those areas' industries and needs.
For example, southern Indiana has specific needs relating to the lumber, food processing, and transportation and distribution logistics industries that are not as applicable in some other parts of the state, Sullivan said.
"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 changing – evolving – and the companies that change with it will not only survive, but thrive. Advanced manufacturing technology makes manufacturing more productive, more efficient and more profitable. Ultimately, it also makes us more globally competitive."
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 17 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 the 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.
Approximately 20 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 them more competitive."
Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu
Sources: Dennis R. Depew, (765) 494-2552, drdepew@purdue.edu
John P. Sullivan, (765) 494-5148, sulivan@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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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. Milling processes are one example of the kinds of technologies that will be discussed at Purdue's advanced manufacturing summit Feb. 28 in New Albany, Ind. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2005/adv-mfgr-tech.jp
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