Purdue's Manufacturing and Materials Research Laboratories will establish a presence at 16 Tech Innovation District in Indianapolis, inside the Machyne makerspace-central Indiana's leading makerspace for prototyping. (photo courtesy 16 Tech Community Corp.)
In an effort to accelerate physical, digital and sustainable manufacturing efforts across Indiana, Purdue University's Manufacturing and Materials Research Laboratories (MMRL) will establish a presence in Indianapolis at 16 Tech Innovation District, the city's destination for innovation and entrepreneurship, deep inside the heart of the Hard-Tech Corridor. MMRL will locate in 16 Tech's Machyne makerspace, the region's leading makerspace for prototyping. Purdue University in Indianapolis, Purdue's new, comprehensive urban campus in Indiana's capital city, officially launched July 1.
"Manufacturing, or `making,' is the core pillar of who we are as Boilermakers," said Ajay Malshe, Inaugural Director of MMRL and the R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. "Having a significant presence for MMRL in Indianapolis will empower Purdue, along with industry and government partners in central Indiana, to accelerate manufacturing excellence across the Hard-Tech Corridor for opportunities and wealth creation in Indiana."
With its flagship location in West Lafayette, MMRL collaborates with industries and foundations, accelerates tech commercialization in manufacturing and attracts top talent. As one of the first offshoots of Purdue's eXcellence in Manufacturing and Operations (XMO) initiative, MMRL brings together Purdue faculty and staff from top-ranked schools such as Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Nuclear Engineering, with a concentration on manufacturing research and experimentation.
"Together, MMRL and XMO are vital components of a renaissance in domestic manufacturing, logistics and supply chains revitalizing the nation's industrial resilience by linking physical, digital and sustainable manufacturing for an integrated ecosystem of manufacturers of all sizes," said a spokesperson. "Now, with a new foothold in Indianapolis, MMRL will have a robust workforce development component and intentional technology-uptake efforts, ensuring critical job creation and local impact while sustaining national security."
"With a dual presence in West Lafayette and Indianapolis, MMRL's faculty, staff and students will operate across the Hard-Tech Corridor as one unit in partnerships with organizations of consequence to achieve shared goals for the state of Indiana," said Dan Hasler, Chief Operating Officer of Purdue University in Indianapolis.
"Indiana is a manufacturing leader," said the spokesperson. "Manufacturers in the state generate a nine-figure economic output and employ over 500,000 workers, according to a recent study by the National Association of Manufacturers. Manufacturing as a share of state GDP is higher in Indiana than in any other state, at 25.7%, with more than 1 in 5 Indiana residents currently working in advanced manufacturing. Both production and capital investment are returning to, and staying within, the borders of the U.S., and initiatives like MMRL uniquely position Purdue to fulfill that domestic workforce need with job-ready graduates.
Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, said, "The Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center (IN-MaC) node, in partnership with MMRL at Purdue University in Indianapolis, will be part of this joint venture, with a focus on applied manufacturing research, learning and technology transfer."
Purdue will also partner with Conexus Indiana, an organization with a strong network of industry, education and public-sector leaders that is working to strengthen Indiana's competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing and logistics. The shared goal of Conexus and Purdue is to drive industry innovation and develop homegrown talent to help ensure Indiana will be a global leader in the advanced manufacturing sector for generations to come.
"Over the last few years, we have seen a steady increase in the manufacturing industry's adoption of advanced technologies," said Fred Cartwright, President and CEO of Conexus Indiana. "As industry technology adoption scales and more small- to midsize businesses digitize operations, the skills they need from their workforce will continue to shift in tandem. We are eager to partner with Purdue University-as it grows its presence in Indianapolis and across the state-to fuel innovation and help build this essential future workforce for Indiana's top industry sector."
Innovation is leading the way in the manufacturing sector, as critical technology platforms such as digital twinning, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and more are offered to industries of all sizes for new advancements, technology updates and workforce training at scale. 16 Tech is an incubator for those innovations and technology uptake, fostering world-changing discoveries and economic opportunity in the heart of Indiana's industrial center.
"MMRL is a perfect addition to 16 Tech and the Indianapolis ecosystem," said Emily Krueger, president and CEO of the nonprofit 16 Tech Community Corp. "By locating in 16 Tech, MMRL joins a growing community that has the infrastructure to enable and scale interactions among university researchers, corporations and start-ups."
For more information contact:
Purdue University
401 South Grant Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907
765-494-4600
www.purdue.edu/campuses/indianapolis