Collaborative.

Tri-Rivers + Ohio State Marion + Marion Community Foundation

Tri-Rivers Career Center started the school year in a “smart” way — debuting its state-of-the-art connected smart manufacturing (CSM) cell hosted within the manufacturing bay of the RAMTEC facility. This addition — funded by Tri-Rivers Career Center, The Ohio State University at Marion, and Marion Community Foundation — represents a pivotal advancement in manufacturing education in Marion.

Dr. Charles Speelman, Superintendent of Tri-Rivers, emphasized, “This CSM cell empowers our students with cutting-edge skills for the modern manufacturing landscape.”

Dr. Greg Rose, Dean and Director of The Ohio State University at Marion, underscored the initiative’s impact, stating, “This is the next step in a partnership that started a couple years ago when we first established the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology (BSET) program, and we needed some equipment and laboratory facilities that Tri-Rivers had available. So, we started a partnership on that level. As the BSET curriculum was built out, we needed this piece of equipment. Tri-Rivers had a grant for part of the full machine. We had more conversation about how we might join forces, and here it is. It really is an example of a partnership extension. That is the best part of partnerships. You start small and then you keep building your partnership. Marion Community Foundation was willing to join the partnership to help us pay for the shared equipment. It is a terrific example of how a partnership can evolve.”

Dean Jacob, President and CEO of Marion Community Foundation, highlighted the broader community benefits and how this education will help strengthen the pipeline of talent for businesses in the area. The Foundation’s contributions will trickle outward throughout the community and pay back in dividends.

During the unveiling, two RAMTEC students from Tri-Rivers provided a demonstration of the new equipment, showcasing its benefits and use cases. The high-tech production line ran from start to finish, producing small tokens for attendees to commemorate the event. The students shared how they have already gained real-world experience in the setup and initialization of the system.