Letter From The Publisher
Cooperative ventures help RCBI expand its impact
This year the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI) marks an important milestone – its 20th anniversary.
That’s 20 years of supporting, assisting and championing manufacturing. Twenty years of working with companies to help improve their manufacturing and operational practices. Twenty years of introducing new technologies and providing technical training, shop-floor assistance and access to the latest computer-controlled manufacturing equipment. Twenty years of helping advance economic development with a goal of transforming our state and region into a powerful player in the global economy.
Today’s RCBI stands as a tribute to the vision of West Virginia’s legendary U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd who saw the exciting possibilities of “a unique blend of academia and industry, working together” to help manufacturers and entrepreneurs keep pace with the challenges presented by today’s highly competitive economy.
Senator Byrd played a pivotal role in RCBI’s creation and continues to be a tireless advocate for manufacturing and industry.
“The future of our state and nation depends upon the ability of our private sector to compete economically in the global arena,” says Byrd. “The Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing exemplifies how government and academia can help industry to prepare our nation for the economic challenges of tomorrow.”
Our mission at RCBI is two-fold: To introduce new technologies to manufacturing companies and create a pool of technically skilled individuals who are ready to go to work immediately in manufacturing jobs.
Both missions are critically important to the economic well-being of West Virginia and the region.
RCBI is West Virginia’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center. As such we believe we have a special commitment to helping meet industry needs. At our well-established centers in Huntington, Charleston, Bridgeport and Rocket Center (in the state’s Eastern Panhandle), manufacturers have local access to more than $20 million worth of state-of-the-market production equipment, new technologies, workforce development initiatives, CNC machinist training and quality management implementation, along with a vast array of technical support.
Often, manufacturers will gain first-hand experience by leasing time on our equipment and then, convinced they need it for their own operation, will purchase similar equipment. To date, private industry has purchased more than 170 lathes, mills and other pieces of high-tech production equipment after RCBI’s unique type/brand of trial use. This technology transfer effort represents an investment by industry that approaches $26 million.
At the same time that we work with manufacturers and their employees, we also provide hands-on training for men and women out of high school and workers who are seeking a new career path.
Graduates of our Machinist Technology Program earn nationally recognized certification from the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) and have an opportunity to earn a two-year college degree.
Begun in Huntington in 1998, the program now boasts 270 graduates. We’re enormously proud of the men and women who have completed our program. They’ve gone on to jobs in an industry known for providing the types of wages and benefits that it takes to buy or build a home and raise a family.
All of our successful graduates earn National Certification from NIMS, most already have earned their associate degrees and others are in the process of doing so in programs at Mountwest (the former Marshall Community & Technical College) in Huntington, Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser or West Virginia Northern Community College.
Much of RCBI’s success can be traced to the strong links we have forged with partners such as Mountwest, Potomac State and West Virginia Northern.
And our list of partners continues to grow.
Last year RCBI introduced a series of evening classes in welding at the United Technical Center near Clarksburg in Harrison County. Now, under a newly signed agreement, we are partnering with the Cabell County Career Technology Center to offer evening training in welding at CCCTC in Huntington.
RCBI partners with the State Department of Education each year for the SkillsUSA-VICA competition. SkillsUSA-VICA is a national organization serving more than 245,000 high school and college students and professional members who are enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health occupations.
And, of course, we partner every day with companies, private industry, utilizing our expertise and their facilities to provide on-site, customized training.
This kind of cooperation provides welcome new opportunities for individuals, enabling them to acquire valuable job skills that will serve them for their rest of their careers. And, importantly, this cooperative approach maximizes scarce resources, giving the taxpaying public “more bang for the buck.”
Our theme for this issue of Capacity is “Innovation” and with that in mind we’ve assembled a broad assortment of articles that explore innovation’s many facets as an economic force.
We’re especially proud to present an exclusive article by Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Co., in which he argues that innovation can be the key to restoring the auto industry to prosperity – and putting the national economy on the right course.
Our mission at RCBI is two-fold: To introduce new technologies to manufacturing companies and create a pool of technically skilled individuals who are ready to go to work immediately in manufacturing jobs.
As always we welcome your comments and suggestions. You may e-mail us at Capacity@rcbi.org.
Charlotte Weber is Director and Cheif Executive Officer of RCBI. For additional information about RCBI, visit www.rcbi.org
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