November 14, 2005
Technical Assistance Program expands for health care, manufacturing
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's Healthcare Technical Assistance Program initiated 14 projects in its first three months, ranging from planning a new obstetrics unit to improving medical safety, according to TAP's recently released annual report.
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Healthcare TAP, which was launched in May 2005, is a partnership with the Indiana Hospital&Health Association and Purdue's Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering. Through this partnership, interdisciplinary teams from the College of Engineering and the School of Nursing offer operational improvement assistance to Indiana's 166 hospitals.
Another new partnership enabled TAP to assume responsibility for the Indiana Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center, which helps manufacturers implement lean manufacturing, quality systems, marketing and other initiatives to improve their operations. MEP is a partnership with the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the state of Indiana.
TAP director David McKinnis said these new partnerships position Indiana for strong economic growth in the health-care and manufacturing sectors.
"By offering Purdue's resources to Indiana companies and hospitals, we can help industrial and health-care sectors operate more efficiently," McKinnis said. "This saves them money, creates jobs and, in the process, improves the quality of life for all Indiana residents."
TAP also continues to support Indiana companies by making teams of faculty, staff and students available to offer free short-term assistance with product development, advanced manufacturing, information technology and management issues. TAP has completed more than 6,000 assistance projects since 1986 and worked with more than 420 companies in 2004-05. Through TAP's support, Indiana companies also have created or preserved nearly 4,200 Indiana jobs since the program's inception.
Victor L. Lechtenberg, Purdue's vice provost for engagement, said TAP is a prime example of how Purdue is fulfilling its mission of being a strong economic partner with the state of Indiana.
"TAP is about helping companies boost profits, increase efficiency and improve customer satisfaction," Lechtenberg said. "By doing this, companies can successfully compete on a global level."
The state provides $1.1 million annually to TAP for business assistance, enabling Purdue faculty to provide up to five days of free service on qualifying projects. TAP uses grants and fees to provide lean manufacturing training and implementation, technical information, energy assessments, networking and security assessments, services to hospitals, and work force development.
The economic impact of these partnerships among Purdue and Indiana businesses, along with state and local governments, has equaled $64 million in capital investments and $300 million in increased sales since 1986, according to the report.
Distribution and Auto Service Inc. of Lafayette, Ind., for example, asked TAP's industrial engineering experts to undertake a project to determine if the company could accommodate Subaru-Isuzu's new vehicle lineup.
"I wanted TAP to validate our flows and methods and, hopefully, suggest some new process or procedure that we were not utilizing at the time," said Rocky Luna, DAS general manager. "TAP gave us a peace of mind with our existing layout and the ability to take on new business."
Another TAP mission is to increase the number of Purdue graduates who accept jobs in Indiana. TAP sponsors the High-Tech Job Fair for Indiana Companies, annually attended by hundreds of students.
McKinnis said representatives of more than 50 Indiana companies, including Interactive Intelligence, Logikos and Haverstick Consulting, met and interviewed potential employees and interns at this year's job fair, which took place Oct. 26.
"The High Tech Job Fair is one of the many ways Purdue does its part to put a plug in the brain drain," McKinnis said. "We want to make sure Purdue students are aware of the many career opportunities available right here in Indiana. Companies, in turn, are eager to recruit students because they have the technical skills needed on the job."
Through the job fair and other methods, TAP also has placed more than 900 students in summer internships since 1988.
McKinnis said helping Purdue students find internships or jobs and implementing state-of-the-art technologies to increase operational efficiency all help to improve the state economy.
"The results we're seeing from the economic investment in TAP are impressive," McKinnis said. "Now that TAP is expanding with new initiatives, the future is even brighter."
Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu
Sources: Victor L. Lechtenberg, (765) 494-9095, vll@purdue.edu
David McKinnis, (765) 494-6258, mckinnis@purdue.edu
Rocky Luna, (765) 449-4011, rluna@dasauto.com
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: A copy of the annual report is available online or by contacting the TAP office at (765) 494-6258.
Studies performed by Purdue graduate student Amirali Noorinaeini (left) and Mark Lehto, associate professor of industrial engineering (middle), helped to reassure Rocky Luna, general manager of Distribution and Auto Service Inc. in Lafayette, Ind., that his company could take on the customization challenges of Subaru-Isuzu's 2006 lineup. Distribution and Auto Service Inc. was one of more than 420 companies that worked with Purdue experts in 2004-05 through Purdue's Technical Assistance Program, according to the program's recently released 1. (Purdue photograph/Center for Instructional Services)
A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2005/TAP-annual.jpg
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