Message from the Dean

A huge component of rebuilding a strong economy in Oregon and the United States rests with the revitalization of domestic manufacturing. Far from the smokestacks and sweatshops of yesteryear, the new manufacturing models are being driven by efficient digital technologies and lean business practices.

We're working on several fronts to bring manufacturing back home. Through President Obama's Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute, we're collaborating at the federal level with other key partners to produce more efficient, effective, and collaborative electronic design processes and tools.

We're also involved at the state level with the Northwest Collaboratory for Sustainable Manufacturing to cultivate education, research, and outreach opportunities to advance the manufacturing sector in Oregon. You can read about these major efforts in this issue of Industry Connect.

When Patricia McDonald, vice president of human resources and director of talent, transformation and diversity at Intel, was on campus recently, she provided some profound insights into how Intel is benefiting from lean business practices. For this issue, we talked with her about how she became a convert.

Keep reading if you want to hear from an electronics manufacturer who kept his operation local while not only weathering the economic storms of the past 40 years, but thriving. Andy LaFranzia of ControlTek shares his views about the future of domestic manufacturing.

Strong university-industry collaboration will help to ensure stronger local economies in the future. We’re in this push together, so let’s stay in touch!

Scott A. Ashford, Ph.D.
Kearney Professor and Dean
College of Engineering
Oregon State University