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Schools and business team up to get lean and green – Colleges and universities can be a manufacturer’s best friend
When people think of universities transferring knowledge to business, they think of the latest genetic patents or space-age satellite technology.
But in Northwest Indiana, where rust-belt manufactures still provide the best jobs at the best pay for blue-collar workers, it’s all about getting lean.
"Lean is the big bang right now," said Ron Patterson, program manager for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Calumet Chapter. "In simple terms it’s doing things more efficiently and taking the waste out."
The term also encompasses concepts like work cells, just-in-time delivery and teamwork.
Many smaller manufacturers say they could not have made the shift to lean manufacturing and new business plans on their own. Organizations such as the Indiana Business and Modernization and Technology Corp. (BMT) and Purdue University Calumet’s Entrepreneurship Center typically get credit for showing them the ins-and-outs.
BY KEITH BENMAN
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Full Story: http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2005/06/05/business/business/7d0a070696efa4a886257015007293c9.txt
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