Ivy Tech celebrates facility for advanced manufacturing, automation

Jun. 2—GOSHEN — One year ago Ivy Tech Community College's South Bend-Elkhart campus opened the Larry and Judy Garatoni Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Automation.

Due to COVID-19, however, they were unable to host their grand opening celebration, but Wednesday night they finally did.

With 200 students in the program, Ivy Tech has already given out 157 credentials this year thanks to a new process used to determine qualifications.

"Even though we have these three separate degrees, they're all tied into this credentialing system called Smart Automation Certification Alliance and it's this new world of micro-credentials where you're earning a credential that verifies that you have a certain competency, but you don't require a full degree to get them, so now you're getting a credential at the end of a single class," said Juan Lopez, Dean of the School of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering and Applied Science.

Available degrees include Industrial Technology, which teaches Industry 2.0; Advanced Automation and Robotics teaches Industry 3.0, and Smart Manufacturing and Digital Integration which ties 2.0 and 3.0 to create Industry 4.0

"One local example is, like, the Lippert beam processing plant," Lopez added. "It's a 'lights out' facility. Set it to run, let the humans leave, there's one or two caretakers, and it can run on its own for the most part."

Nick Pinchok, regional director for zSpace, a 3-D system for teaching and learning advanced manufacturing, explained the value of Industry 4.0 certification, which his company helps to facilitate.

"You can learn the program that these are running on and have a job that pays you a lot of money from a high school certification — you don't even have to go to college," he said. "There's no one size fits all. The kids who are in high school and middle school who are looking to this, the kids who are here, are getting state-of-the-art education. It's competing with four-year and two-year."

Lopez explained that compared to the rest of the state, manufacturing represents about twice the employment in the tri-county area. For Elkhart County, St. Joseph County, and Marshall County, manufacturing represents over 30%.

"It's what drives a lot of the economy and a lot of what we're doing, but a lot of it is still stuck in this early automation to no automation phase," Lopez said.

Lopez said in the current economic climate, many manufacturers are concerned about retention, and employees leaving for better opportunities.

"I don't care if the average salary in our region became 50 bucks an hour," he said. "That's not the concerning part. What we're here to do is to upskill and train people so they're worth that level of productivity. Who cares if it takes 50 bucks an hour to retain excellent manufacturing folks that can work in a highly automated environment? Let's train people so that they're worth that type of job, that type of work, and also that type of productivity. When you're working in an environment like this, you're really helping students to understand this combination of manufacturing spaces that they will encounter."

Community members, business leaders and students gathered to hear remarks from various leaders in the Ivy Tech community, including Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann, Ivy Tech South Bend-Elkhart Interim Chancellor Andy Williams and Ivy Tech Community College Trustee Larry Garatoni. The Larry & Judy Garatoni Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Automation is the newest addition to the Ivy Tech Community College's Elkhart County location.

The center will allow Ivy Tech to offer training to local manufacturers and those seeking a career in advanced manufacturing with the following pathways: Mechatronics, Automation/Robotics, Industrial Maintenance, CAD Design, and Engineering.

"This provides an avenue for students that don't want to go to college," said Linda Rogers, Indiana State Senator for District 11. "We have so many people that really can work in the technical field and understand all of this equipment. They can work right here in Elkhart County and fill these jobs.

"Right now we have a significant labor shortage and this is helping increase the pipeline of students to the workforce, providing them with these great technical degrees... When kids are in high school and they decide to go to college, really only a third of the jobs require college education. The majority of jobs require a technical or a certificate or this kind of environment for their education."

The space will also allow Ivy Tech to evolve over the coming years to keep pace with changing technologies, particularly as Industry 4.0 and 'Internet of Things' expands nationally, regionally, and locally, a press release from Ivy Tech said.

The facility was made possible through the support of several entities and individuals including the Elkhart County Council, the Elkhart County Redevelopment Commission, the Elkhart County Commissioners, the Labs for Industry Futures and Transformation (LIFT) Network, Larry and Judy Garatoni, and the Lung family.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.