College partners with City of Auburn to meet advanced manufacturing needs

As manufacturing continues to shift from a manual to a more advanced industry, the need to better train skilled workers continues to grow. To address local advanced manufacturing needs, Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the Industrial Development Board (IDB) of the City of Auburn are partnering to provide resources for Auburn’s workforce.

The result of this partnership is the Auburn Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (AMTC). Located in the Auburn Industrial Park, the center provides space for training and machine prototyping, setup and development.

“AMTC is the result of three years of thoughtful listening and planning to provide solutions to the gap described by manufacturers in the precision five-axis machining, advanced measurement and industry 4.0 technology skill areas,” said City of Auburn Economic Development Director Phillip Dunlap.

Over the years the City of Auburn has recruited several high-tech manufacturing companies, and existing industries have adopted advanced technologies. To combat hurdles that may prevent such companies from advancing in Auburn, the IDB developed a training center with the help of Auburn Engineering.

“The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering sees advanced manufacturing as an opportunity for intersection and engagement of industry and education,” said Christopher B. Roberts, dean of engineering. “As the AMTC continues to develop and deliver courses to industrial partners, we are pleased to provide expert instruction from our engineering faculty and graduate assistants as a full partner of the AMTC.”

2aUSA, a manufacturer in the Auburn Technology Park West, recently invested in new Okuma machines. These machines required a different skill set than others at 2aUSA’s facility. AMTC provided 2aUSA the space and resources to train the workers assigned to run the new machines without hindering the company’s operations.

"We at 2aUSA appreciate the opportunity to participate in the Okuma Operating System training, and based on feedback from our employees who participated, they seemed to learn a great deal from the experience,” said Larry DiChiara, 2aUSA human resources manager. “They all expressed a desire to receive additional, in-depth training on the Okuma machine in the future. The AU trainers were knowledgeable and very flexible to meet our scheduling and training needs."

Through the partnership, the training center is able to provide certifications for skills training in five-axis operating systems and machining. The center also provides prototyping and research options for companies to develop employees and products without traveling outside of the area or shutting down lines within plants.

AMTC is currently outfitted with a DMG DMU 50 five-axis machine, a Haas 750SS five-axis machine and an Okuma M460-VE three plus two-axis machines. It also houses several small mills, a bandsaw and two welding stations. AMTC has given the City the opportunity to partner with Auburn University, Southern Union State Community College and Alabama Industrial Development Training to provide customized programs for regional industries to train new and existing employees.