Page 20 - MetalForming December 2016

2016 Awards of Excellence
training program, for example, typically has two students who each spend six weeks working hands-on with a trainer. During this time, the trainer evaluates technique, commit- ment to the company and overall capabilities. After the first six weeks, trainees move to predetermined shifts and depart- ments. At that time, they are paired with mentors to help as needed. The overall process to make a new trainee an efficient welder takes approximately six months.
DeWys University works to consistently have new trainees in the pipeline based on open positions. Press-brake forming and welding have been the two most consistent areas for training needs. To enter into these programs, trainees under- take multiple interviews as well as skills tests or mechani- cal-reasoning tests.
The university is meant for new and current team mem- bers. Each program has five or six levels that vary based on skills, abilities and years of service. The creation of the inhouse training program has resulted in an increase of team members, wages and overall morale at DeWys Manu- facturing, in addition to providing the company with its needed skilled labor.
The Training and Education Award recognizes an out- standing achievement by a company in employee technical education through a comprehensive training program. The award is sponsored by HPL Stampings, Inc., Lake Zurich, IL, in memory of A.R. (Ray) Hedberg.
Excellence as an Educational Institution —Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Murfreesboro, TN, received the 2016 Clips & Clamps Industries Educational Institution Award, for its Experimental Vehicles Program (EVP), which provides extensive hands-on experiences gained by creating and assembling vehicles to compete in collegiate competitions. The program consists of five experimental- vehicle projects that split students into peer-led teams that research, design and manufacture original vehicles. On aver- age,70-80studentspersemesterparticipateintheEVP,uti- lizing the skills gained from the program, including prob- lem-solving, innovation and resourcefulness.
Students learn valuable job functions and receive exposure to fabricating machinery. The EVP also gives students practice in presenting their design reports and technical work, allow-
Via Middle Tennessee State University’s Experimental Vehicles Pro- gram, 70 to 80 students per semester create and assemble vehi- cles to compete in collegiate competitions while learning valuable job functions and receiving exposure to fabricating machinery.
ing them not only to learn technical skills but also commu- nication skills.
MTSU’s EVP has exhibited outstanding performance at national and international competitions. Most recently, in 2015 one of the experimental vehicles, the NASA Lunar Rover team, placed first nationally and third internationally. This team also earned the Safety Award and the Neil Arm- strong Outstanding Design Award.
Several companies in the metalforming industry mentor and support the EVP. And, because of the EVP, metalform- ing-industry recruiters are eager to hire these new engineers, as they require less training, are more knowledgeable and can utilize problem-solving skills learned in the program. More than 90 percent of students participating in the pro- gram have a job lined up in the metalforming industry after graduation.
The Educational Institution Award recognizes a public or private educational institution that provides outstanding training and education services to companies in the metal- forming industry. It is sponsored by Clips & Clamps Industries, Plymouth, MI, and funded by the Dul Foundation. MF
18 MetalForming/December 2016
www.metalformingmagazine.com