Missoula, MT – According to the state officials, the Department of Environmental Quality, in partnership with the Montana Manufacturing Extension Cente and Highlands College, will launch a Smart Manufacturing Technologies Outreach Initiative to help Montana manufacturers access and implement advanced technologies to improve facility operations and efficiency.
As part of the initiative, Highlands College will offer a certificate program to develop a workforce with skills necessary to continue upgrading manufacturing technologies into the future.
Advanced technologies can help create efficient production processes that in turn conserve energy and water, saving money and resources over time. DEQ applied for the grant on behalf of the state.
The overarching goal of this initiative is to provide information and assistance to small and medium-sized manufacturing firms who may not be aware of all the advanced technologies available to them, or who need technical guidance to select, design or implement an advanced technology project.
The program will focus on “Smart Manufacturing” technologies, which are generally defined as technologies that can be integrated to communicate with one another to detect problems, improve efficiencies and performance.
