Manufacturing Tomorrow

Vasil Hlinka CEO of AwareAbility Technologies, an Internet of Things technology company. In addition to consulting with customers on their data capture investments and needs, they produce hardware that can operate in ultra low-power and no-power environments.

Before AwareAbility, Vasil held a number of consulting and leadership positions at a number of technology and IT companies. In addition to consulting, his portfolio includes work at Lochbridge, Compuware, and BMW Financial Service. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrics and Electronics Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Teresa McMahon, Executive Director of the Iowa Lean Consortium, is a leading authority on change management and organizational performance. She helps members of the Iowa Lean Consortium to increase their proficiency with Lean tools and share best practices to improve their bottom line.

Prior to ILC, Teresa was deputy director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development. She served as performance results director for the Iowa Department of Management and has held several positions at the state’s Department of Natural Resources. She received her juris doctorate at the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and a BS in Business Administration at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business.

Steve Phillips is the owner of Phillips Precision, located in Boyleston, MA. Founded in 1997, Phillips Precision has grown its machining capabilities and expanded its offerings to rapid prototyping, laser marking, 3D printing and precision milling and turning.

Steve is the inventor of the Pitbull Clamp workholding device and Loc-N-Load quick-swap fixture plate system. Prior to Phillips Precision, he worked at Bose Corporation as a model maker and at Saint-Gobain Abrasives and Norton as a machinist. He has an extensive background in CNC machining, inspection, geometric dimensioning & tolerancing, and computer-aided-design.

Ritch Ramey is the engineering technologies coordinator at the Robotics & Advanced Manufacturing Technology Education Collaborative, or RAMTEC, which provides training to high school students and incumbent workers on industry-standard facilities and equipment. RAMTEC is located at the Tri-Rivers Career Center Advanced Manufacturing facility in Marion, Ohio; other training sites are now located at most career and technology centers throughout the state.

Ritch has served Tri-Rivers Career Center since 1987, leading the instruction of high school students in engineering and industrial robotics. He is involved in the Project Leads the Way high school Digital Electronics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing courses. He also teaches industrial robotics, CAD, digital electronics and CNC, among other courses, at Marion Technical College.

Ritch received his bachelor of science degree in technology at Bowling Green State University, his vocational education certification at the University of Toledo and his associate degree in manufacturing engineering at Marion Technical College.

Will Zell, CEO and Founding Partner of Nikola Labs leads a wireless power company with a far-field technology that converts radio frequency (RF) energy into direct current (DC) power. One of their products that may interest those in manufacturing is a transponder and predictive sensor system that provides predictive maintenance on machines by monitoring temperature and vibration.

Will has been at Nikola Labs since 2014. He has founded three technology companies and has had a successful real estate and venture development career, including serving on IKOVE Venture Partners Advisory Board and as managing director of Endeavor Forward, a startup accelerator. He draws from a broad range of experience in communications, organizational development, leadership, branding and innovation.

Ron Burton is executive vice president of the Transportation Research Center, the largest independent vehicle test facility, research and development, and proving grounds in the U.S. A 32-year veteran, Ron has program management oversight in injury biomechanics, vehicle crash worthiness and biomechanics, advanced crash-avoidance technology, and human factors programs. Ron has been a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers since 1998 and has chaired SAE task groups in active safety and dummy testing and evaluation. He is a key contributor to the design and development of TRC’s 540-acre Smart Mobility Advanced Research and Test Center, or SMARTCenter. Ron received a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration from Wright State University. Avery Caughenbaugh has been TRC’s marketing specialist since 2017. Her responsibilities are in customer service, social media, public relations, events and conferences, and facility tours. She began her career at TRC as a Durability Test Driver before she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications at Ohio State.

Bob Mick, Director of Professional & Distance Education Programs at The Ohio State University College of Engineering, leads the online Masters of Global Engineering Leadership program,a professional degree for practicing engineers who want to increase their management acumen and leadership skills along with their technical expertise. The degree is delivered completely online and can be completed in 12 -28 months. Students admitted to the program pursue course work in business leadership, public policy, ethics, accounting, and a technical specializationin automotive systems, welding or additive manufacturing, to name a few.They practice new professional and technical skills by completing a culminating project. Prior to his tenure at the College of Engineering, Bob was a program coordinator for the Executive MBA program and Program Director for the Master of Business Operational Excellence degree, both at the Ohio State Fisher College of Business.

We have a special treat for our podcast listeners! Luconda Dager, President of Velvet Ice Cream Company, at the headquarters located at Ye Olde Mill in Utica, Ohio is the fourth generation of her family to lead the 103-year-old company that distributes more than five million gallons of ice cream each year.

Before joining Velvet Ice Cream, Luconda worked several years in the retail fashion industry. She is a frequent speaker and author on dairy industry topics as well as small and family business issues. She serves on the board of directors of the International Dairy Foods Association and the Midwest Dairy Foods Association. In addition, she leads several community philanthropy programs, including the Utica Sertoma Ice Cream Festival and Pelotonia, which benefits cancer research at Ohio State.

Luconda was inducted into the Women of Influence in the Food Industry in 2012 and Columbus Business First’s “Forty under Forty” in 2007. She received a bachelor’s degree in business from Xavier University.

The Ohio Means Internships & Co-ops program in Central Ohio that is funded by the Ohio Department of Higher Education is focused on providing students with work experiences in advanced manufacturing. The following two segments capture two OMIC programs from this autumn.

The first event you will hear is at an Engineering Career Fair offered at the co-located campuses of Central Ohio Technical College and OSU-Newark. The students were exposed to internship opportunities with area employers and received job-driven training on critical thinking and human relations skills. I interviewed student and industry participants as well as two administrators.

The second event was at the INNOVATE-O-thon developed by The Ohio State University Institute for Materials Research. For this particular externship program, student teams focused on a mobility challenge that will help shape DriveOhio’s technology strategy. The students identified value propositions and built business cases for deployment of autonomous vehicles at Ohio State’s campus. The winning team was interviewed, as well as IMR’s director.

Bob Graff, Senior Sales Manager of STEM Education & Workforce Development at Yaskawa America. Yaskawa Motoman, located in Miamisburg, Ohio, produces robotic automation for industry and robotic applications, including arc welding, clean room, coating, material cutting, materials handling, and spot welding. Recently, they have become well-known for their collaborative robot, or co-bot, line.

Before Yaskawa, Bob served over 18 years in the education technology industry as an account manager at HMH, a global K-12 learning company, Gateway, Primex Education Solutions, and Apple Computer, among others. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history at the University of Cincinnati.

Key terms: robotics and automation, workforce implications, future skills needed in manufacturing