OSU's New Product Development Center receives $1.9 million grant
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Oklahoma State University New Product Development Center, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance and the OSU Applications Engineering Program, has been awarded a $1.9 million grant through the Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge.
The grant, one of ten selected for funding through a competitive review process, will allow the NPDC and the OMA to begin the Manufacturing Improvement Program for the Oil and Gas Industry Supply Chain and Marketing Cluster. This program will focus on increasing the profitability and innovation of small- to medium-sized manufacturers in the oil and gas industry. Sustainable job creation for 44 low-income Oklahoma counties is one of the top objectives of the project.
“Our working relationships with the NPDC and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce makes us confident that as a team, we can be effective at administering this program and provide positive innovation outcomes leading to economic growth and jobs for the manufacturers clients, the state and the nation,” President of the OMA Chuck Prucha said.
The NPDC and OMA have worked with partner organizations closely to provide business and engineering innovation assistance to small- and medium-sized manufacturers in Oklahoma. Through the Advanced Jobs and Manufacturing Innovation program, the organizations will expand the scope of their work to include development and improvement of small- and medium-sized manufacturers within oil and natural gas industry supply chain and marketing cluster.
“Helping Oklahoma companies stay strong and grow is a primary goal of Governor Mary Fallin and Commerce,” Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism Dave Lopez said. “This project will strengthen many of our manufacturers in a key cluster in Oklahoma.”
The grant will provide three years of funding and focus on 44 counties in Oklahoma with per capita income less than 80 percent of the national average. By fostering growth and helping develop manufacturing within these counties, the NPDC and OMA will be able to promote sustainable job growth and over-all company profitability.
“We have an outstanding oil and gas industry in Oklahoma that requires the support of diverse world-class suppliers,” said NPDC Associate Director Dan Tilley. “Our project will help small- and medium-sized manufacturers become part of the world-class suppliers to the gas and oil industry.”
The creation of the Manufacturing Improvement Program for the Oil and Gas Industry Supply Chain and MarketingCluster will bring together five federal agencies – the Economic Development Administration, the Department of Labor, the Employment and Training Administration, the Small Business Association, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The NPDC will partner with the Oklahoma Department ofCommerce, the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, the Center for International Trade andDevelopment at OSU, the CITD/SBA, and the OSU Applications Engineering Program in order to foster development and job growth within the oil and natural gas industries.
“Bringing together this many organizations to work on a project is a demonstration of the positive working relationships NPDC has developed with other Oklahoma and national agencies concerned about job growth in Oklahoma,” NPDC Director Robert Taylor said. “We are very excited to take the lead on the project, and we expect growth in the number and quality of jobs in oil and gas supply chainmanufacturers in low-income counties of Oklahoma.”
In order to integrate the manufacturing improvement program with the current oil and gas industry needs, The Oil and Gas Industry Advisory Board and the Oil and Gas Industry Manufacturing Council will be created. The Oil and Gas Industry Advisory Board will represent large companies within the oil and natural gas industry that need products from small- and medium-sized manufacturers, while the Oil and Gas Industry Advisory Board recommends projects and problems that need to be addressed.
“The oil and gas supply chain manufacturers are a vital sector of the state economy that is in need of assistance with advanced manufacturing upgrades to become more competitive in the national and global marketplace,” Executive Director of OCAST Michael Carolina said.
The New Product Development Center is a multidisciplinary organization working with small- and medium-sized manufacturers across Oklahoma. The NPDC employs interns from engineering, business, and agricultural backgrounds, who work with OSU faculty and staff to assist manufacturers inproduct development and industry analysis. The NPDC interns will play a keyrole in the Manufacturing ImprovementProgram for the Oil and Gas Industry Supply Chain and Marketing Cluster.
The NPDC receives support from the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Science Foundation. For more information about the NPDC visit www.npdc.okstate.edu.