WSU to take part in manufacturing summit in D.C.

South-central Kansas is one of 12 communities taking part in the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership summit on Thursday and Friday in Washington, D.C.

The partnership is an initiative to change the way federal agencies leverage economic development funds.

“It encourages communities to develop comprehensive economic development strategies that will strengthen their competitive edge for attracting global manufacturer and supply chain investments,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Commerce and its Economic Development Administration. “Representatives from each community will discuss their communities’ efforts and progress.”

Wichita State University representatives are representing south-central Kansas.

The summit is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

Other communities will be able to learn from those who are taking part in the initiative, a report on the summit said.

Representatives from each of the 12 communities that are part of the partnership will discuss their efforts and progress.

The 12 participants were selected in the spring by the federal agency.

The report for the summit noted southern Kansas’ history in aviation. And it said that decades of production have built a network of more than 350 machine shops, tool and die shops and subcontract manufacturers with specialized equipment for metal and composites manufacturing.

To grow or retain its competitive edge, the region has identified the need to deepen its innovative capacity, the report said.

The region’s strategy will focus on developing university centers of excellence and industry-driven curriculum to support manufacturers in design, advanced materials development, automation and prototyping, according to the report.

South Kansas has identified 11,000 workers who could be given skills training to fill jobs in aerospace manufacturing that are open today or that will open because of impending retirements, the report said.

The report also touted the new innovation campus at WSU, which it said would give students the opportunity to gain experience by working directly on research and development projects.

South Kansas has also identified a need to better disperse innovations in advanced materials out into the region’s supply chains.

“To build supply chain capabilities stretching from materials formulation through to full fabrication, South Kansas has proposed the creation of industrial parks and centers of excellence focused on supply chain integration around these critical technologies,” the report said.

This story was originally published October 28, 2014 at 10:51 AM with the headline "WSU to take part in manufacturing summit in D.C.."