STARKVILLE – A single employee in a manufacturing facility does the same task over and over almost 40 hours a week. But doing the same thing repeatedly can lead to injuries for the “industrial athlete” over time, and honestly, a human probably shouldn’t be doing the job at all.
Reuben Burch, a professor in systems engineering at Mississippi State University, discovered this as he traveled across the state visiting manufacturing facilities in 2018, he told the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday at the Hilton Garden Inn. Ultimately, he said, his team found an opportunity to introduce autonomous systems to manufacturing facilities in the state – and a gap in training within the state for skilled workers who can operate those systems.
“Why can’t they stay in the state of Mississippi to see what their options are to look at automation for these employees that essentially don’t want to do the repetitive task?” Burch asked. “And why do they have to fly out of state to get training?”
Burch’s findings were the start of the creation of the Advancements in Manufacturing Upskilling Program (AiM UP) at MSU, a workforce development program that teaches skills in advanced and automated manufacturing across the state.
Carver Middleton, an engineer with athlete engineering at Mississippi State University, said the program started in earnest in December 2023, and it will help to address the “talent shortage” in advanced manufacturing, citing a 2020 report that anticipated 2 million jobs in the manufacturing workforce going unfilled.
“In short, what we’re doing is upskilling Mississippi’s workforce with advanced manufacturing skills to serve our manufacturing industrial base, leading to further economic development through the manufacturing sector,” Middleton said.
Middleton said the upskilling program introduces students of all ages from K-12 to the “incumbent workforce” to advanced manufacturing systems through showcases, workshops and credited and non-credited training. Over time, Middleton said, it can take students who have had no exposure to robotics through multiple phases, getting them comfortable with operating robotic systems they could be exposed to in the advanced manufacturing sector.
While the program spans all ages, Middleton said it has been particularly successful due to its partnerships with technical colleges across the state, including Northeast Mississippi Community College, East Mississippi Community College’s Communiversity, Hinds Community College and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
The program also partners with both manufacturers on its advisory board and industrial automation companies, helping to connect future workers with skills they need. One recent example of success in these partnerships, Middleton said, was a “mini summit” at MGCCC in partnership with FANUC, a Japanese group of companies that produces robotics and other automation systems, and a “global powerhouse” in the industry.
“If you’ve ever walked into a manufacturing facility and you see a yellow robot, that’s going to be a FANUC robot,” Middleton said.
After a member of the workforce is exposed to robotics at showcases and other events, Middleton said, that can lead to them being more comfortable engaging with robots hands-on and learning new skills, opening up a job opportunity that wouldn’t otherwise exist.
“These technologies aren’t taking jobs,” Middleton said. “Let me be pretty clear on that. They’re increasing our capacity for output. No longer will you have to have somebody that’s putting a widget together, sitting there doing the same thing all day 40 hours a week. They can be managing a work cell, a robot work cell, instead of doing that manual mundane task.”
AiM UP also started providing training at Mississippi State University this past fall, Middleton said, with more than 100 students going through “Emphasis on Engineering” workshops and learning how to operate machines that they may encounter in the workforce.
Middleton said overall, the AiM UP has touched at least 1,000 participants in some way or another since it first began, and he hopes the program will continue to expand during the upcoming fall semester.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
