Magna, KraussMaffei help push college program forward

Rochester, Mich. — As Mark Richardson has talked to more and more companies about how they're working to attack the skills gap, he hears about homegrown programs.

Companies all over have started their own "universities," set to train existing employees on new skills and bring in kids to teach them in the ins and outs of manufacturing.

"I applaud them for doing it, but at the same time it breaks my heart," he said. "Why can't the educational community get this done?"

Richardson, an engineering consultant at Series One LLC who has also worked at Dow Chemical Co. and Visteon, is helping Oakland University launch a plastics program. The program aims to bring corporate partners, industry associations and existing community college programs together.

"There's a huge workforce gap all the way from the operator level clear up to the four-year degree engineer," Richardson said. "In order to solve that problem, it takes a community."

The nearly 20,000-student public university in suburban Detroit held a kickoff event for the program Aug. 23. The program is going to be a minor or a concentration within the school's established engineering program. It will be open to mechanical engineers, industrial engineers and chemical engineers.

Classes for the concentration are expected to start for the winter 2018 semester, which begins at the start of the year.

Magna International Inc., KraussMaffei Corp., ABB Inc. and Asahi Kasei Corp. have been integral in helping get the program launched, Richardson said. The lab hasn't been built yet, but KraussMaffei officials said they plan to donate two injection molding machines that will be about 300 tons each.

Martin Stojkovic, general manager at KraussMaffei, said the company has donated seven machines to seven different college programs. Oakland University will be the eighth.

"We need good, technical training," Stojkovic said.

The company does apprenticeships and is deeply committed to workforce development.

"We are able to do this because, fortunately, business has been good," he said.

Richardson said having the equipment right away is important so the students immediately get hands-on experience.

"We have engineering students who come to college having never used a cordless drill. You laugh, but it's the truth," he told the crowd of about 75. "So we need to get them to have real, hands-on experiences."

Brian Krull, global director of ​ innovation for Magna, said it is great to be a partner in a program like Oakland's because the need is going to grow.

"Advances in advanced plastics is really driving the need," Krull said. "The use will continue to grow."

When launched, the program will include a student chapter of the Society of Plastics Engineers. Various SPE officials were at the launch party, as was Patty Long, senior vice president of industry affairs for the Plastics Industry Association.

"There is one issue that unites our entire industry and that's workforce development," Long said. "This is exactly where the industry should be focusing its time and energy."

Richardson said the program will partner with existing two-year programs to help create a funnel of students that want to continue their education. The list of potential partners currently includes Schoolcraft College, Mott Community College, Grand Rapids Community College and Bay Mills Community College — all Michigan schools. He has also spoken to representatives from Ferris State University, the state's biggest plastics program.

"Some of these colleges are small and isolated. We need to get together and move together toward the same goal," Richardson said.

He said having the program be a minor or concentration will allow it to be more flexible and responsive to industry needs.

Louay Chamra, dean of the school of engineering at Oakland University, praised the effort.

"Magna has been instrumental in getting us to this point," he said. "This is going to be successful because everyone is at the table."