FUTURE EXPANSION: Center for Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Performance (CLAMP)

 
 
Given the relatively high concentration of manufacturing and its importance to northeast Indiana (our region still wants to be known as a place that “makes things”), and the State of Indiana as a whole, the Innovation Center - in conjunction with local industry players, and academic partners - is poised to change the image of manufacturing and thereby interest young people to consider a career in manufacturing, and to retrain, re-tool, and enable today’s existing workforce to transition to tomorrow’s advanced manufacturing workforce in response to what companies are looking for in locations when they expand and grow. These workplace opportunities are driven principally by the need for a “high quality talent pool” for research, development, and production activities. NIIC’s overriding goal is to strengthen northeast Indiana’s economy by building a world-class workforce and growing high-performance companies in the advanced manufacturing industry.

To build this best in class capability, Northeast Indiana needs to develop:

  • The interest, skills, and worker-readiness of the region’s manufacturing workforce;
  • The readiness and capacity of schools and colleges to prepare new workers; and
  • The strength of the local economy and its potential to grow higher paying, higher quality employment opportunities in the manufacturing sector and the advanced technologies that support this strategic sector.


We need to do this by concentrating resources on improving the capacity, innovation, and competitiveness of high-performance manufacturers, and manufacturers repositioning their businesses from lower tech, lower growth sectors to higher tech, higher growth sectors. As the Center and the Park have evolved, NIIC has concentrated its efforts on information technology and biosciences. Now, in partnership with Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne and Ivy Tech, the Center for Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Performance (CLAMP) will be a cornerstone economic development and engagement center for building on our rich heritage of making things while focusing on:

  • Improving the innovative capacity and competitiveness of the supply chain of major manufacturers in NE Indiana
  • Joint research and applied development activities with University-based tech transfer and licensing and Corporate spin-off technology intellectual property sourcing.
  • Certification and experiential (hands-on) training programs
  • Prototyping, automation equipment, specialized equipment for training, product development, and project-based learning
  • Collaborative “green”/”eco-friendly” initiatives related to these industries. industries.
  • Building footprint of 14,500 sq ft expandable to 20,000 sq ft and physical space for 4-5 incubator/second stage companies in residence at any one time with the programs and support services provided by the main incubation facility on the campus