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Inside IALR Podcast: Economic Development – Transforming a Region

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Inside IALR Podcast: Economic Development – Transforming a Region

Inside IALR Podcast: Economic Development – Transforming a Region

“We always say we’re accessible, we’re affordable and we’re skilled.”— Linda Green, Vice President, Economic Development 

These are some of the main selling points that IALR’s Vice President of Economic Development Linda Green and her team and partner organizations use when recruiting new companies to locate in Southern Virginia.

Listen to the newest episode of IALR’s biweekly podcast, “Inside IALR,” for an engaging snapshot of economic development in Southern Virginia. What is economic development, and why does it matter for our region? Listen wherever you get podcasts to find out.

Listen on IALR’s Site 

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

In this episode, Linda defines economic development, emphasizing that it is not a simple, short-term or one-size-fits-all approach. Linda shares how her team works to recruit companies and promote growth for existing industries, highlights the selling points they make to companies, and explains what economic development looks like in Southern Virginia. 

 

“Automagic:” Robots and Automated Manufacturing

“Automagic:” Robots and Automated Manufacturing

Three robots and two large manufacturing machines communicating, collaborating and accomplishing tasks, all without human direction or involvement. Together, they take a piece of aluminum and, through several processes, convert it into a finished and packaged product.

It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie.

However, it will soon be a reality as part of the Industry 4.0 Lab in the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research’s (IALR) Center for Manufacturing Advancement (CMA). IALR staffers have designed and are building an autonomous manufacturing work cell where robots and manufacturing machines communicate via wireless signals. The work cell should be fully operational around December.

“Companies will be able to test concepts, innovate and improve their operations in the CMA, all without disrupting their ongoing operations.” – Todd Yeatts, Executive Vice President, Manufacturing Advancement, IALR

With the ability to tweak the process for different scenarios, this Industry 4.0 Lab will serve as a demonstration site, showing manufacturing companies what is possible. Enclosed in a glass room, the Industry 4.0 Lab will also be visible during tours of IALR.

“It’s a demonstration lab to show local industries what new technologies are out there and what might be able to benefit them,” said Butch Kendrick, Director of Digital Manufacturing IALR “We call it automagic.”

Robots and Machines Communicating, Working Together and Directing Each Other

Throughout the automated process, three robots and two different computer numerical controlled (CNC) machines will communicate with each other about the process and what each one needs from the others. All these communications – and the requests and information they share – have been pre-programmed and are managed by a software called a manufacturing execution system (MES).

With no name yet, this robot has one job: tend operations of the CNC machines using its compound gripper.

An autonomous mobile robot (AMR), Ralph consists of a mobile robotic cart and a universal robotic arm with seven joints.

Rosie completes the final inspection of finished products before packaging and preparing them for shipment.

“The actual machines are integrated with the robots,” Yeatts explained. “The machine calls when it needs to be tended by the mobile robot. The only human interaction was the programming. No one’s actually guiding the robot. The robots know the process and complete their jobs as needed.”

There will be alternative steps and workflows depending on the application, but the basic process will go something like this:

  • Under orders from the MES, the tending robot will pick up and load a piece of aluminum into the first CNC machine. With the material firmly in place, the machine will cut a shape. The robot will then take the part out of the machine and place it on a table.
  • Under a request from the tending robot, Ralph will retrieve the part and conduct pre-established inspections with engravers and scanners on the inspection island.
  • After the inspections, Ralph will drive to the CNC milling machine. Ralph will be responsible for tending the machine, putting the part inside and telling the machine to begin the operation before leaving to complete another task.
  • Once complete, Ralph will retrieve the part and take it to the coordinate measuring machine or back to the inspection table, depending on the predetermined workflow. Those that fail inspections or tests at either location would go onto a rejection conveyer belt – an event that would trigger a text or email notification to a human supervisor.
  • If it passes all relevant tests, Ralph will bring the module to Rosie – who received that name after a recent Facebook naming contest. Rosie will complete a final inspection, package the part and set it on a conveyor belt.
  • When Rosie says she has completed her task, Ralph will collect the packaged product and place it in the retrieval area.

The Challenge of an Autonomous Mobile Robot

Two primary challenges came with creating this type of integrated, automated manufacturing workflow.

How precise could the autonomous mobile robot be?

Disbelief and doubt. That is what Kendrick heard from organizations around the country while presenting the idea of an autonomous mobile robot as part of an automated manufacturing process. They said the robot would not be able to leave one post, go to another and then return to the exact same spot.

Butch Kendrick, Director of Digital Manufacturing, works with one of the robots in the Industry 4.0 Lab in the Center for Manufacturing Advancement.

Precision and repeatability are critical in these processes. The cart holding the automated robotic arm must pull up to the exact location every time. The robot arm must be able to reach the exact same spot in space repeatedly.

Kendrick and the Manufacturing Advancement team have developed a robot with extreme locational, three-dimensional precision. Prior to occupying the new CMA, they repeatedly demonstrated this concept in the Gene Haas Center for Integrated Machining, which houses the Integrated Machining Technology program. Once the AMR identifies a point in space and selects it as a reference point, it can return to almost that exact location even after traveling around the room to complete other tasks.

(The robot always came within 0.0015 inches of the point in space. That’s slightly larger than the diameter of a human hair.)

How could each of the robots and machines involved effectively communicate with each other?

What makes this workflow unique is how all the machines and robots communicate with each other through the MES in real time. Throughout the development of a single widget in this workflow, dozens of messages flow between the machines and robots. Some of the examples of messages the robots and machines share:

  • “I’m done with this process. Now you can collect this part.”
  • “The widget is positioned correctly. You can close the door and begin the operation now.”
  • “I am ready to complete another process.”

Traditionally, robots and machines that communicate with each other write files of information and put them in mutually accessible folders. This also requires extensive hardwiring and infrastructure.

“Working in the industry for 35+ years, one thing that disappointed me was working with automation. You had these two pieces of equipment that needed to exchange control information, but it was done in a very archaic way. It was done with technology used in the 1960s and 1970s. I knew there had to be a better way.” – Butch Kendrick, Director of Digital Manufacturing, IALR 

But what if that communication could happen in real time? Each machine and robot has its own language. The key to allowing real-time communication, Kendrick said, has been creating proper protocols, which function as a sort of universal language between the technology and the MES. One of the focus areas of Industry 4.0 is creating the ability for different machines to communicate wirelessly without delay, which creates flexibility and reliability.

The Impact on Southern Virginia and Beyond

The Industry 4.0 Lab fits into the overarching mission of the CMA: to serve as the destination of choice for innovative manufacturers ready to optimize their operations and scale and facilitate the expansion of the advanced manufacturing sector. But the interplay between robots, machines and manufacturing processes is just one of the appeals of the CMA. Other features include:

  • Rapid-launch high bays can provide a temporary home for companies developing their own facility, expediting operational start-up time.
  • A CNC machining innovation lab enables new and existing businesses to evaluate their processes, build out improvements and incorporate efficiencies.
  • An ISO-certified metrology lab provides the integrated inspection capabilities required to validate product quality and includes one of the largest coordinate measuring machines on the East Coast.

The CMA is positioned next to the future Regional Training Center for the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing program and other manufacturing training programs from IALR and Danville Community College. With the potential to host some classes and have students learn robotics and automation in the Industry 4.0 Lab, the CMA will also help prepare the workforce for advanced manufacturing jobs.

“Even with the rapid development of automation and technology, manufacturing jobs are not going anywhere. They are simply evolving to require more skills in areas like coding, engineering and math. Much of our focus at IALR is preparing the workforce for the future by teaching those needed skills in programs across all age and experience levels.” – Todd Yeatts, Executive Vice President, Manufacturing Advancement, IALR

The Center for Manufacturing Advancement provides state-of-the-art facility space, technology and equipment as well as leading expertise to position Southern Virginia as the destination of choice for advanced manufacturers.

Both existing manufacturers in the region looking to expand and manufacturers looking to enter Southern Virginia with a new site location are already benefiting. The United States Navy also established its Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) within the facility. The AM CoE will develop manufacturing “recipes” (technical data packages) that other organizations around the country can utilize to create parts and components. Several industrial manufacturing partners located in Southern Virginia for the first time due to the AM CoE.

“Today’s manufacturing and workforce challenges require comprehensive and innovative approaches to the way industry collaborates, along with significant investments in infrastructure, equipment and people. The CMA fosters each of these obligations in a way that will benefit the region, the Commonwealth and the country.” – IALR President Telly Tucker

These goals will remain the same in the Industry 4.0 Lab and the entire CMA, even as the equipment and processes evolve.

“I’m hoping everybody will be using this technology, this equipment and these processes five years from now,” Kendrick said. “Integrated automation and robotics will be commonplace, and our team will be looking at newer technologies and processes.”

Linda Green of IALR Wins Women in Leadership Award

Linda Green of IALR Wins Women in Leadership Award

Linda Green, Vice President of Economic Development at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), joins 36 other executives as one of the winners of this year’s Virginia Business Women in Leadership Awards.  

Green has served in her current role as well as the Executive Director of the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance (SVRA) since 2016. As Virginia Business states, since that time, she has “worked in collaboration with economic developers to recruit 28 new companies to Southern Virginia and assist the expansion of 31 existing companies.” Virginia Business goes on to share that “Green says these efforts have created more than 5,300 jobs and spurred about $1.5 billion in capital investment across the region.”

“We are extremely fortunate to benefit from the keen economic development expertise of one of the state’s leading professionals in this area,” said Telly Tucker, President, IALR. “Linda’s love for Southern Virginia and her tireless efforts to contribute toward the growth and transformation of the region are evident and well respected by local, regional and state stakeholders across multiple industries and span both the public and private sectors.” 

Prior to her role at IALR and SVRA, Green worked as District Director for U.S. Congressman Robert Hurt and as Director for Federal Funding and Entrepreneurship for the Center for Innovative Technology, where she also served terms as Director of Manufacturing and Regional Technology Transfer. She also served as the President and CEO of the Dan River Business Development Center and worked as a Quality Engineer for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. A Certified Quality Engineer, Linda holds a Master of Business Administration from Duke University and is a graduate of Averett University and Danville Community College. 

“I am thrilled to be recognized for this esteemed award and appreciate Virginia Business’ commitment to honor and support the leading role that women play in the many businesses and industries across our Commonwealth,” said Green. “I also acknowledge the importance of working with a collaborative team of professionals who welcome and support female employees and cohorts — helping one another succeed is a blessing.”  

Virginia Business editors selected awardees from more than 320 nominations submitted by readers. According to the media outlet, “editorial staff considered factors such as overall professional accomplishments, civic engagement, mentoring and breaking glass ceilings.”   

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research serves Virginia as a regional catalyst for economic transformation with applied research, advanced learning, manufacturing advancement, conference center services and economic development efforts. IALR’s major footprint focuses within Southern Virginia, including the counties of Patrick, Henry, Franklin, Pittsylvania, Halifax and Mecklenburg along with the cities of Martinsville and Danville. 

Students from Diverse Backgrounds Benefitting from Accelerated Training Program

Students from Diverse Backgrounds Benefitting from Accelerated Training Program

A Danville woman in her 40s who grew up on a tobacco farm and spent most of her career in behavioral health. A former Navy Corpsman father and his 22-year-old daughter from California. Two active-duty Marines stationed out of San Diego and a Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer who spent most of his first 12 years of service at sea.  

These are just a few of the students enrolled in the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program’s sixth cohort. This growing prototype program housed at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville provides the skills and certifications for adult learners to immediately enter the submarine and defense industrial base – the system of companies that produces parts and equipment for the U.S. military.  

The program brings a diverse group of students to Danville to develop the skills needed for a quality career bolstering our country’s defense. Students have come from 26 states, range from age 17 to 50s, and bring a wide range of previous career experience. Boasting an 86% graduation rate, the program takes these learners and prepares them for meaningful careers. Approximately 75% of graduates so far have gone on to work directly in the defense and submarine industrial base.  

ATDM prepares adult learners for manufacturing careers that support the United States military.  Students from dozens of states with various career backgrounds are completing the accelerated, four-month training.   The program currently offers five tracks: welding, non–destructive testing (NDT), quality control inspection (metrology), additive manufacturing and CNC machining.   By 2025, 800-1,000 students will graduate annually. Each of the five tracks will be offered across three shifts. 

“We’ve had a retired schoolteacher, a chef who worked at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, active-duty military, veterans and a host of other backgrounds and career experiences. We see everything from companies sending their employees here for upskilling to people with no experience whatsoever in manufacturing and everyone in between. What they all have in common is a willingness to learn in a rigorous environment.”  – ATDM Director Dr. Debra Holley

Non-destructive Testing: A Family Affair 

Greg Williams is a Navy Veteran who spent 13 years in active duty, concluding his service as an Independent Duty Hospital Corpsman. After moving with his family from California to Durham, N.C., in 2022, Williams was interested in a new career path.  

“I spent the first half of my life focusing on medicine. To do a shift into something mechanical and something on the manufacturing side, I thought it would be a good challenge,” Williams said. 

A January 2023 email from the Wounded Warrior project included some information about the ATDM program. The program immediately caught Williams’ eye, and he reached out to ATDM staff within a few days.  

But he was not just interested in the program for himself. More than 2,600 miles away in Pullman, Wash., Williams’ daughter Lilly Concepcion, 22, was living on her own for the first time, working as a barista.  

“I was trying to scrape together enough money as I possibly could to survive on my own, and it just wasn’t cutting it,” Concepcion said. “When my dad told me about ATDM, I was definitely very intrigued to think that maybe I could start a career path that would take me further.”   

Today, the pair have completed more than a third of the non-destructive testing track in the ATDM program, often studying and spending time together outside of class. With housing in Danville’s River District provided to students as part of the program, Williams’ wife and two sons are also here while he completes the program.  

Greg Williams and his daughter Lilly Concepcion are participating in the non-destructive testing cohort of the ATDM program.

“It has been exciting to be able to learn a new process together. This is something neither of us had any experience in,” Williams said.  

Non-destructive testing is an analysis technique that evaluates the properties of a material for characteristic differences or welding defects and discontinuities, all without causing damage.  

Having already met with several companies and actively working with ATDM student support staff on her resume, Concepcion is confident that she will have a job opportunity lined up by the time she graduates in September.  

“I would love to work on submarines in some way. At the end of this I just want to help out where I can in the industry.”  – Lilly Concepcion, ATDM Non-Destructive Testing Student

“It’s definitely an exciting time to try to figure out where do we want to go next,” Williams said, noting that he is exploring different options and is not bound to any one location. “It’s not a matter of can I find a job, it’s going to be what’s most conducive for what I want.”  

Looking for a New Career 

Dana Lunsford has a long resume highlighted by stints in law enforcement before spending the bulk of the 2010s and early 2020s working in the Behavioral Health field focusing on the seriously mentally ill population as a Clinical Manager and Supervisor in Southern Virginia. 

“As far as behavioral health is concerned, you name it, I pretty much did it here in Southern Virginia,” said Lunsford, who grew up on a local tobacco farm.  

After a taxing, travel-filled year working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Lunsford began working with FedEx as a temporary stop while exploring next steps. With her children grown and exploring their adult lives, Lunsford was looking for a major career shift and was open to whatever that looked like.  

“You are never too old to learn something new. I feel learning new things and stepping outside of one’s comfort zone and taking on a challenge is very important for self-development and career growth.” – Dana Lunsford, Welding Student in ATDM Program

An internet search about programs in welding – a trade she had always been interested in learning more about– led her to ATDM, which immediately caught her attention.  

After a long career in behavioral health, Danville native Dana Lunsford enrolled in the welding track of the ATDM program. “We’ll see where it takes me.”

Now several weeks into the welding track of ATDM, Lunsford is fascinated with the different welding types and applications she is learning. The program trains students like Lunsford to American Welding Society standards in 10 nationally recognized certifications.  

Like Concepcion and Williams, Lunsford is already engaging with industry and working on her resume and is not bound to any one location.  

“There are a lot of excellent career prospects out there,” she said. “We’ll see where it takes me.”  

Upskilling the Military  

Marine Corporal Ahgden Haversack and Sergeant Lionel Moss were hand selected by their seniors to participate in the Additive Manufacturing cohort of the ATDM program. Haversack had completed a U.S. Marine Corps additive manufacturing course and had done some 3D printing for aircraft while Moss had worked as a machinist for rotary aircraft parts. Both received some formal training but were still learning a lot on the job.  

Today they are two of the 11 active-duty military participants in the additive manufacturing cohort of ATDM. While ATDM primarily develops the civilian workforce needed to produce equipment and parts, military personnel also benefit from having formal training.  

Marine Corporal Ahgden Haversack (right) described the ATDM program as invaluable. “I can produce a better product and give the military a better product.”

Chief Petty Officer Jonathan Zlocki, a Coast Guard electrician, is going to manage the operations of an additive manufacturing facility in New Orleans after completion of the ATDM program.

Marine Sergeant Lionel Moss, stationed in San Diego, is one of 11 active-duty military participants in the Additive Manufacturing track of the ATDM program.

“Invaluable” is how Haversack describes the rapid, hands-on learning and instruction ATDM provides. He says that this course is helping him to kick bad habits he may have developed and is providing him the foundational knowledge needed to improve and expand the way he manages operations in San Diego.  

“I have all this knowledge that I didn’t have before,” he said. “The parts that I made that I thought were perfect before I got here might not be perfect now because I have a higher standard. I can produce a better product and give the military a better product.”   

Having Marines like Haversack and Moss be able to create more parts themselves will save the military time and money.  

“We’re hitting this thing at both ends now,” Moss said. “Any time there’s a problem, it’s either we can 3D print it or we can machine it out of metal and get that bird back in the air.”   

Haversack and Moss are the most experienced students in the cohort, which allows them to rebuild and expand their knowledge while also helping others in the class. One of the students they have worked with is Chief Petty Officer Jonathan Zlocki, a Coast Guard electrician who spent most of his career wiring ships and other infrastructure. Upon his completion of the program, Zlocki will be standing up an additive manufacturing facility for the Coast Guard in New Orleans.  

“When I go back, I can more effectively use the training I’m getting here to train others and manufacture parts,” Zlocki said.  

IALR Announces New EVP of Operations

IALR Announces New EVP of Operations

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) is pleased to announce Dr. John H. Hughes IV as Executive Vice President, Operations, effective June 1. Most recently serving as the Assistant City Manager for Lynchburg, Va., Hughes brings nearly two decades of experience in government operations, administration and service. He will serve as the chief business and operations officer and will report directly to IALR President Telly D. Tucker.  

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Hughes to the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research team,” said Tucker. “As we continue to position Southern Virginia as a destination where all can live and thrive, I am confident Dr. Hughes’ leadership background, operations experience and creative approach to community building will help us ensure the exceptional quality and operational excellence our communities and employees deserve.” 

Dr. John H. Hughes IV is IALR’s Executive Vice President, Operations, effective June 1

Having previous experience with workforce training, continuing education, human services and more, Hughes is fascinated by IALR’s mission to catalyze regional economic transformation. 

“I am humbled and inspired to join a progressive and innovative organization focused on revolutionizing the economic landscape of Southern Virginia,” Hughes said. “With its state-of-the-art facilities, innovative programs and dynamic people, IALR positively influences Southern Virginia and beyond. I look forward to contributing to that mission of continued, tangible impact.” 

Hughes will serve as the chief business and contractual liaison for IALR operational matters with IALR partners. One of his primary responsibilities will be leading the functions organized within IALR’s business and operations departments, including Communications, Technology, Facilities and the Institute Conference Center as well as Applied Research. Hughes will focus on aligning IALR’s administrative systems, policies, structure and procedures to the organization’s five-year strategic plan. He will also focus on developing leadership in a rapidly growing organization to ensure continuity and sustainability into the future. 

While serving as the Assistant City Manager for Lynchburg, Hughes spearheaded a collaborative, impactful poverty-reduction effort through public-private partnerships, grants, workforce development and soft-skill development, continuing education and job placement programs – all focuses of IALR. Hughes also supervised several departments, including Human Services, the Lynchburg Public Library and Department of Parks and Recreation. Hughes previously worked as a Foster Care Social Worker and Senior Family Services Specialist before spending nearly a decade as the Children’s Services Act Coordinator for the City of Lynchburg.  

A native of Lynchburg, Hughes supported the local community via several volunteer and appointed boards including the Greater Lynchburg Transit Company, Lynchburg Community Policing Advisory Committee, Martin Luther King Jr. Lynchburg Community Council, Hill City Youth Football & Cheerleading, Mary Bethune Academy, Southern Memorial Association (Old City Cemetery), Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, Community Criminal Justice Board, Action for Change Committee, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and the Central Virginia Continuum of Care.  

Hughes has been active with professional and civic organizations including the Virginia Local Government Management Association, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and the International City/County Management Association. He is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. 

Hughes earned a Master of Business Administration in 2009 and obtained his doctorate in education from the University of Lynchburg (formerly known as Lynchburg College) in 2023. Hughes also holds two bachelor’s degrees – one in social science, the other in business administration – from the University of Lynchburg.   

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research serves Virginia as a regional catalyst for economic transformation through applied research, advanced learning, manufacturing advancement, conference center services and economic development efforts. IALR’s major footprint focuses within Southern Virginia, including the counties of Patrick, Henry, Franklin, Pittsylvania, Halifax and Mecklenburg along with the cities of Martinsville and Danville. For more information, visit www.ialr.org.   

IALR Scientist Participates in Gates Foundation Workshop

IALR Scientist Participates in Gates Foundation Workshop

Dr. Chuansheng Mei, Chief Scientist at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), presented in a workshop regarding the potential of endophytic microbes (or helpful bacteria) in sub-Saharan African farming systems at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington, from May 16-17, 2023. Dr. Mei, who leads much of the research at the Endophyte Research Center at IALR, was one of 20 presenters from eight countries.  

At the two-day workshop, pioneers in endophyte research from around the world discussed challenges and opportunities from academic and industry perspectives and began the process of developing a roadmap and vision for future investment opportunities and research questions.  

“It was a great honor to participate in this workshop at the Gates Foundation,” Dr. Mei said. “It was a unique opportunity to collaborate with global leaders in this field and discuss the potential and application of endophytes to enhance food production.”  

Throughout the two-day workshop, the participants explored medium- and long-term opportunities to develop these bio-inputs to deliver major nutrients to crops with specific use cases relevant to small-scale producers (maize, sorghum, tropical legumes and root crops).  

With public-private partnerships and funding, talented scientists and exclusive equipment, the Plant Endophyte Research Center has established IALR as a national leader in the exploration of endophyte potential.  

Dr. Chuansheng Mei, Chief Scientist at IALR (second from right), was one of 20 presenters at a workshop at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation regarding the application of endophytic microbes in sub-Saharan African farming systems.