The College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (CEET) hosted a Manufacturing Innovation Symposium in November to introduce companies from across the region to how CEET and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) can partner with them to help their businesses thrive in a highly competitive marketplace.
“We have a tremendous range of expertise in the college that we can put to work on behalf of these businesses, and I would love to see more companies taking advantage of those skills,” said David Grewell, dean of CEET. “This was a fantastic opportunity to not only showcase our resources, but also to introduce companies to IMEC, and our great students.”
A highlight of the Nov. 15 event for many visitors were the posters on display that described senior capstone projects. Also popular were demonstrations put on by students and faculty in the laboratories, including a student-built engine for a race car and an autonomous robot that uses LIDAR to navigate complex terrain. The visitors seemed suitably impressed.
“I heard a lot of positive comments about our students, our faculty, and our facilities,” Grewell said. “For a lot of attendees this was the first time that they were exposed to the breadth and depth of the work done by our faculty and students,” said Associate Dean Mansour Tahernezhadi. “Hopefully some of the businesses we met that day will reach out to us for help with things like prototyping, design, testing or solving specific manufacturing issues.”
Attendees also had an opportunity to learn about ways that IMEC can help them overcome challenges. The organization, which is dedicated to providing manufacturers in Illinois with expertise, tools and techniques to excel and compete globally. Their services include leadership development, improving operations, strengthening supply chains, helping companies adopt data driven decision making and improving the way they manage people. They also connect companies with resources at universities like those at NIU’s CEET.
Dave Boulay, president of IMEC, said the manufacturers he spoke with were excited to learn how his organization and NIU can help them become more efficient and more profitable.
“Many of them were eager to talk about how optimistic they were after meeting the NIU students. They were impressed not just by how well-prepared and intelligent they are, but also how enthusiastic they are about manufacturing,” Boulay said.
Grewell looks forward to finding more opportunities for CEET and IMEC to team up for the benefit of Illinois manufacturers. “Between what CEET and IMEC have to offer, there are basically endless opportunities for industry to increase their revenue,” Grewell said.
