Northern Illinois officials are getting more details about a digital manufacturing hub scheduled to open in a couple of months.
The Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDI) is better known as Illinois' Digital Lab. There have been a number of buzz words used to explain the goals of this project including "intelligent machining," and "operations agility."
But what does that really mean? In some ways, this facility is like a giant spider web intended to harness the brain power of engineers and manufacturers to make U.S. operations more efficient.
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin made the rounds last week updating business and education leaders about the $320 million lab. The physical location will be on Chicago's Goose Island, but expertise will come from around the state including members of Rockford's aerospace industry and students and faculty at Northern Illinois University.
Promod Vohra is dean of NIU's College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. He says NIU has a unique place at the table with specialties in nanotechnology and 3D printing.
"I think the policies and the procedures are still being refined," Vohra said. "They are being fine tuned as to how the projects will come out, how the people will participate, how the companies will provide titles and topics and things like that. I think it is an ongoing process. We want to be part of this process, and I think we will be."
Hundreds of companies are pitching into the effort including Boeing, Caterpillar, and General Electric. Still, Vohra says he doesn't expect there will be too many "cooks in the kitchen."
"The more the merrier. I think companies getting together and trying to make us understand what their needs are, helping us try to design new curriculum, new students, enriching the STEM pipeline, and bringing in more people in engineering careers, I think it is going to help the nation."
Vohra hopes the Digital Lab will also serve as a spark to the engineering field and will provide opportunities for jobs and internships.
"I've been a strong proponent of 'grow your own' talent. I have always felt that somebody who has grown up in downtown Chicago is not going to come to Rockford unless he or she finds a value, or they find family connections and friends connections. If we create a pipeline of students coming out of Rockford high schools and can work them into good engineers, chances are they will stay in Rockford and serve the industry."
He says both large and small manufacturers are included in the scope of the project.
A $70 million dollar grant from the Department of Defense will help pay for the lab. It will be matched by hundreds of industrial partners. The project also includes $16 million dollars in state funding.
