Automation and Electrical Ð Industrial Production Technology
January, 2004
á Cooperated with 2+1+2 program to offer seminars/traditional courses to insure success of those students.
á 10 Seminars delivered in which 3 traditional students participated.
á Upgraded portions of Basic Pneumatics course to include Power Point presentations.
á Completed approximately 60% of new seminar on Operator Interface Programming.
á Completed approximately 20% of revisions to AC Variable Frequency Drive seminar to include new PowerFlex frequency drives (one donated by industry).
á Served 4 new companies/employers that participated in seminars.
á 50 participants were served including 3 traditional students.
GOALS FOR 2004 Ð 2005
Helping Students Learn
á Complete updates/presentations to Basic Pneumatics materials
á Complete updates to AC Variable Frequency Drives class for new PowerFlex Drives introducing participants to this latest technology in drives.
á Complete and offer a new seminar in Operator Interface Programming
á Attend industry training seminars in Logix5000 programming
á Promote existing and newly developed seminars to corporate customers through visitation and/or publications.
á Hire an industrial recruiter knowledgeable in controls and boiler technology to recruit for seminars while concurrently developing a Boiler program.
á Attend trade fairs and conventions with most promise of promotional gain.
á Develop a new seminar for Logix5000 programming.
á Assist with development of a seminar in ÒAutomation for Ammonia Operators.Ó
á Acquire by donation and/or grant a small materials handling system for training operators responsible for maintaining such systems.
á Develop training materials for materials handling seminars.
Prioritized List of Personnel (2004-2005)
|
Item |
Cost |
Justification |
|
Industry Recruiter/Boiler Program developer |
$55,000+ |
Local competition is indicating a need for more proactive recruiting and development. |
Prioritized List of Equipment (2004-2005)
|
Item |
Cost |
Justification |
|
1 PanelView 1000 (Operator Interface) |
$3500 |
Needed to provide access for 8 enrollees in new seminar for fall 2004. |
|
Logix5000 processors |
$25,000 |
Required for new seminar in Logix5000 Programming in Spring 2005. This hardware needed to incorporate latest technology on controls for automation, ammonia controls, boiler controls, and materials handling. College already has software. |
Prioritized list of new projects
|
Item |
Cost |
Justification |
|
Logix5000 Training (2 seminars w/travel) |
Est $4400 |
This new automation platform is significantly different than the old requiring training. |
|
Materials handling equipment (conveyors, pick and place robots, sensors, etc) |
Est $60,000 |
All industries handle materials (in particular the food industry). This would incorporate at least two new seminars and utilized other existing lab equipment to provide cutting edge training. |
|
Boiler Program Development |
Est $150,000 |
Industry indications point to this as being a viable seminar training program and potentially larger than ammonia refrigeration. Donated boilers, use of existing lab space, and cost of installation would get this off the ground with a person to focus on development. |
GOALS FOR 2006 AND BEYOND:
Assist in the instruction and delivery of an Automation for Ammonia Operators seminar.
Update and upgrade course materials and equipment for Advanced Electrical Motor Controls to reflect new technologies in motor management.
Assist with development of controls for Automation for Boiler Operators.
Incorporate latest automation communications topologies into seminar training including Devicenet, Controlnet, and Ethernet.
Acquire added classroom and laboratory space as needed.
A local firm in direct competition with the collegeÕs ammonia program is projected to have hardware up and running by next fall. Automation and electrical as well as boiler training are also proposed as being a part of this program. The college must be proactive in its response by offering the highest quality and most up-to-date training possible.
The above plan is designed to keep the Automation and Electrical program as far ahead of the technology curve as possible. A perception on the part of industry that Automation training is out of date will be a killer for seminar enrollment. New equipment (The PowerFlex drives ) will be incorporated into an existing class and the PanelView 1000 will be used in a new class nearing completion. These additions and changes will be used as a promotional tool for the program in its contacts with industry. The Logix5000 control platform is the latest from Allen-Bradley/Rockwell automation. Several of the gas companies and the food industries are beginning to incorporate these controls into their equipment and the plan is to incorporate this training into the seminar sequence. Contacts have been made on the materials handling system to try to obtain donations of money and/or materials to put a system together. Most industries handle materials and such training may provide a valuable niche for the program.
The plan also envisions hiring an industrial recruiter that is knowledgeable of and skilled in industry as well as in pressing the flesh. This individual would recruit for all seminars and also provide a focused effort for concurrent development of boiler operator training seminars. Utilizing donations, under-utilized laboratory space, and some monetary commitment to installation, this program could be up and running into the 2005-2006 school year. Some rather intensive work over several years was involved in getting the NH3 program off the ground and going. The same is and will be true of the boiler program except that there are more materials available on boilers than there were on the ammonia program which could likely expedite its development and delivery. Failure to continue planning for this program may allow competition an advantage and detract from efforts on the part of Automation and Electrical to build enrollment from those involved not only in ammonia automation controls but also boiler controls.