Engineering-Mechanical (56) As an increasing number of U.S. companies are outsourcing manufacturing operations to foreign countries that have cheaper labor markets, the issues of keeping manufacturing jobs in America and increasing the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing industry have become critical to the long-term sustainable prosperity of the U.S. economy and its technological progress. Lean manufacturing has proven to be an effective strategy to increase productivity and cost competitiveness in the U.S. manufacturing industry.
Intellectual Merit Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, a group of faculty members in the College of Engineering and the College of Business at Utah State University are developing a new lean manufacturing course by adapting and implementing relevant lean manufacturing courses from the University of Kentucky. The course is providing both engineering and business students a comprehensive training in technical skills, professional (leadership, communication, teamwork, etc.) skills, and business knowledge (cost, profit, market share, etc.). Students are also provided with intensive real-world hands-on experiences to enhance their understanding of lean manufacturing principles and applications. State-of-the-art manufacturing equipment including PC laboratories is employed to support the course.
Broader Impacts The project is addressing five high priority competency gaps (business knowledge/skills, supply chain management, project management, communication skills, and teamwork) identified by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers that need to be closed between industry's manufacturing workforce needs and current educational programs. In order to meet these needs, course lecture materials and laboratory manuals in the form of CDs and web publications are being developed. Summer workshops are being provided for manufacturing practitioners in Utah and surrounding states. Women and minority students are being recruited to enroll in the course.
