Texas A&M was hand-chosen to command the construction of the Gulf Coast Regional Manufacturing Center focused on local technology transfer and workforce development.
As a part of the The Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) — a branch of A&M — will lead one of five regional centers that will implement efficient manufacturing designs for chemical, oil and gas production. This initiative will provide affordable access to analytic tools and industrial applications to manufacturing communities.
Dean Schneider, deputy director of Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Energy Institute, said TEES’ operations is foundational for the success this new regional center.
“These institutes are intended to reinvigorate manufacturing within the United States,” Dean said. “The group that we are working with is the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition and are leading the team of which we are a part.”
Dimitris Lagoudas, agency deputy director of Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, said the Gulf Coast Regional Manufacturing Center will be working specifically with Dow Chemical, Shell, Exxon Mobile, BASF Chemistry and INEOS Chemicals from Corpus Christi to New Orleans and are all primary companies looking to improve their efficiency in manufacturing processes.
“All of these companies are making products we buy … all of these process will become more energy efficient,” Lagoudas said. “That is the key focus of the institute. That means [companies] will be spending less energy creating products, which will go to the consumers being more cost effective as well.”
Brian Blake, director of engineering communications for Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, said TEES plays a huge part in building the manufacturing center from A&M.
“TEES is considered the research arm of engineering at Texas A&M and hopes to implement a plan to decrease carbon footprints of companies,” Blake said.
Dean said the manufacturing center will influence other companies at an international level.
“Smart manufacturing is all about making that data available to decision makers of the company in order to optimize the process at a global level,” Dean said.
This five-year contract is a testament to the excellence of Texas A&M Engineering and will help revitalize the nation’s manufacturing industry by providing innovative technologies and solutions.
