Northeast Iowa manufacturers seek expertise from industry center

In December 1999, a first-of-its-kind center -- the Iowa State University Industry Outreach Center -- opened and has been providing services and technical assistance to manufacturers throughout northeast Iowa ever since.

The center's goal is to support and encourage growth in industry through a variety of activities, training and one-on-one assistance, all while providing a direct link to the resources offered by ISU. "We want this center to represent ISU to manufacturers in northeast Iowa and offer them the same access to everything they could get in Ames," said Mike Willet, an industrial specialist with ISU Extension's Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS).

The ISU Industry Outreach Center is open for business in Cedar Falls.

Besides CIRAS, other internal partners in the center are the ISU College of Engineering, ISU Extension and the Institute for Physical Research and Technology (IPRT) -- all offering guidance and expertise to manufacturers. External partners, such as a number of area economic development groups and the University of Northern Iowa's Business and Community Services group (and its nine outreach centers), also add value to the center's efforts to help companies succeed and build competitiveness.

One company that already has taken full advantage of the center's regularly scheduled training offerings is Wayne Engineering, a Cedar Falls-based manufacturer that sells new garbage trucks to municipalities in all 50 states and 65 countries worldwide.

 "The training was beneficial because the information we were given related directly to what we do at work," stated John Worthington, vice president of operations at Wayne Engineering. "We came away with ideas regarding production flow, material handling and shop floor control -- all of which has helped us in reducing our throughputs and meeting more of our customers' delivery requirements."

 As plans for the center developed, an advisory council of northeast Iowa manufacturers provided input on the types of services and information desired. The result was a center that now offers at least one training activity per month, meeting facilities and classes scheduled throughout the year. Future plans include an ICN site and a videotape and resource library for companies.

 "We want this to be a client-driven operation," Willet said. That is why the center will continue to develop and hone its offerings and services -- to become the first choice among manufacturers in a 15-county, northeast Iowa region when they need assistance. 

The meeting room in the ISU Industry Outreach Center is used for workshops and extension educational programs, and is available for rent to industries, chambers of commerce, etc.

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• Last update: June 20, 2000