Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
October 08, 2020 11:02 AM

Youngstown State to unveil advanced manufacturing training site in March

Judy Stringer
Crain's Cleveland Business
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    YSU training center_i.jpg
    Contributed photo
    Youngstown State University’s Excellence Training Center, to debut in March, is ‘on time, on target and on budget,’ says its executive director, David Sipusic.

    Youngtown State University's 54,000-sq.-ft. Excellence Training Center is "on time, on target and on budget," said David Sipusic, who serves as executive director of the under-construction facility.

    YSU broke ground on ETC in mid-May, and Sipusic anticipates construction will be complete in March 2021, having not yet succumbed to any COVID-related setbacks. Along with spring release of $6 million worth of federal and state grants for the $12 million buildout, the university and its collaborators "have been very fortunate," according to Sipusic, that materials and suppliers have been readily available to keep construction on track.

    "I guess you could say the stars are aligned," he said.

    Once fully operational, ETC will house $10 million in advanced manufacturing equipment and other industrial machinery. The center is expected to inject trained personnel into Mahoning Valley's anemic manufacturing work force pipeline, especially when it comes to the regional's growing demand for specialized skills.

    "We are going to have a variety of equipment and programming from the more traditional aspects of manufacturing like machining, CNC machining and stamping, all the way up to high-end advanced manufacturing technologies like advanced 3D printing, robotics and automation," Sipusic said.

    Such a broad range of equipment and technology, according to Sipusic, will allow the center to meet the needs of a diverse set of learners, including YSU's collegians, non-degree students from area vocational programs, and adults who are upskilling or changing careers. Meanwhile, YSU faculty and industry partners also will utilize the space and its equipment for research and commercial projects and create a unique opportunity for students "to see what a future in modern manufacturing looks like," he said.

    Sipusic expects the university's strong presence in additive manufacturing, in particular, to materialize into both applied research and commercialization opportunities at ETC.

    ETC was informed, at least in part, by other university-based technology outfits, including Ohio State University's Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence, the Wright State Research Institute and the Keck Center at the University of Texas at El Paso. Yet, Sipusic said the Youngtown center's sweeping mandate makes it standout among those peers.

    He noted, for example, that a handful of "partners," including Eastern Gateway Community College, based in Steubenville; four regional career centers (Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties and Youngstown); and industry groups such as the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition will provide programming at ETC in addition to YSU's own education, training and research efforts.

    "The fact that we are trying to bring together work force development, education and active research and commercial projects all under one roof is a unique combination," the executive director said. "That's not something you see often."

    ETC will be located on the south end of campus at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Commerce Street. The finished space includes the renovation of an existing 24,000-sq.-ft. structure—a former youth detention facility—and a 26,000-sq.-ft. addition. Sipusic said the addition will provide a high bay clearance to accommodate larger pieces of equipment.

    He estimates it will take two to three months to move in all of the equipment and get it properly calibrated once construction is complete. Short-term certificate programs in the machining area will be the first to come online, possibly in late spring, Sipusic said, followed by "more robust programs" in the summer. Autumn 2021 should usher in ETC's first "full slate of courses for education and workforce development," he said.

    MVMC executive director Jessica Borza said the center will address one of the biggest roadblocks the region has faced when it comes to adequately filling its manufacturing pipeline: training students on costly advanced manufacturing equipment.

    "Because the university will centralize that high-end equipment, students from throughout Mahoning Valley—from our career centers, from our community college and from the university—will all get that exposure at the right point in their programs," she said.

    A 2015 study found the region averages roughly 2,800 manufacturing openings annually, according to MVMC, and projected that more than 6,600 workers over age 55 will retire from the industry before 2025. Borza expects ETC to alleviate shortages in machining and industrial maintenance, which are two of the biggest needs.

    Eastern Gateway Community College's machining program will be co-located at the new training center, she said, giving EGCC students access to "to four- and five-axis CNC machines." Youth and adult learners on industrial maintenance pathways, meanwhile, will benefit from the CNC machinery as well as a variety of other robotics and automation technologies.

    "We see the ETC as being a showcase to show young people and parents and career switchers what modern manufacturing is today and how exciting and innovative and creative these jobs are," Borza said.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Plastics In Politics Live — sign up for the next live
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Redline's ‘outrageous cultural behaviors' retain top employees
    2
    Material Insights: Polypropylene production — both virgin and recycled — in the spotlight
    3
    Redline buys Georgia-based Quality Holdings
    4
    Illinois, Utah see chemical recycling battles
    5
    Plastifab diversifies molding with Marchel acquisition
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified