Urschel Laboratories Inc. Donates Machine To Ivy Tech
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Staff Report-
Urschel Laboratories Inc., of Valparaiso, recently donated a Kuraki KV 1000 three-axis milling machine, valued at $20,000, to Ivy Tech Community College’s Orthopedic and Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Warsaw. According to Ivy Tech Chancellor Thomas G. Coley, the Kuraki milling machine will be used by students in both academic and certificate training programs. “We’re very excited to enter into a new partnership with Urschel Laboratories. Our students and graduates need a wide breadth of hands-on experiences in order to meet the community’s workforce needs. The addition of the Kuraki milling machine adds a layer of training that students will have before they enter the workforce, reducing on-the-job training and increasing efficiency,” said Coley. According to David B. Whitenack, Urschel Laboratories Inc. plant manager, “Urschel management realized that over the last decade that the supply of skilled and qualified candidates to fill our production needs was becoming smaller. There seemed to be a perception in the general public that manufacturing jobs or jobs in the skilled trades were no longer a rewarding career option. “The problem was obvious, that employers and educators needed to work together to change everyone’s perception toward the skilled trades,” he continued. “While trying to develop a strategy to resolve the issue, Urschel learned about the Ivy Tech’s OAMTC. After meeting the Ivy Tech staff and touring their facility, Urschel management realized that Ivy Tech’s vision and our vision were almost identical. This made the decision to partner with Ivy Tech in Warsaw very easy, because both organizations are dedicated to ensuring that in the future the region has a skilled and qualified workforce,” he said.
