NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

2/1/2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES -Students in Northwestern State University's Industrial Engineering Technology program earned credit for practical experience by evaluating a Natchitoches manufacturing facility. ArtCrete Inc., a company that specializes in decorative concrete stenciling, hosted the IET Motion and Time Study course in which students divided into teams and observed the company's operations.

"The students have given their report and the folks at the company were quite appreciative. They are implementing a number of the suggestions for improvement as we speak," said Dr. Tom Hall, head of the Department of Engineering Technology.

"The objective is to evaluate an operation and determine ways to make the operation more efficient," said Bobby Nowlin, the professor of Engineering Technology who instructed the course. "The students learn through class work followed by real world evaluation. The efficiencies could be time savings, motion savings, equipment upgrades, ergonomic improvement and safety."

"Ergonomics is basically conforming your workspace to you," explained LaTanya Sneed, a senior from Taylor who participated in the project. "For example, if you work at a desk and you are short, you would lower the desk. It's anything that can be done that will make it easier to do your job."

The students, visited the plant, were briefed on safety procedures, divided into teams and studied the plant's operations. During the study, the students became acquainted with plant facility operations and the pace of private industry, according to Brian Pasquier, ArtCrete operations manager. Pasquier served as a liaison between ArtCrete and NSU.

"They took timings, monitored movement, looked for safety problems and looked at plant layout, safety, organization and housekeeping. They prepared a report that was formally presented to the company," Nowlin said. "The report included safety items that were required to be fixed and production changes that would increase the performance of the plant. The company has already implemented many of the changes recommended by the students."

"It was hands-on with the students observing the processes. It is what they are learning in class versus what they observe," Pasquier said. "They developed implementation strategy and did a formal presentation from a manufacturing perspective. It was valuable experience in real world education as opposed to textbook education, which is an important step coming out of college."

"We used the knowledge we gained from the course and made suggestions concerning some of their work procedures," Sneed said.

ArtCrete president Frank Piccolo is an NSU graduate and approached the university about utilizing students on credit-based projects. Pasquier said the company is considering working with NSU on a student internship position for a senior student.

"Their recommendations were a good verification of problems we knew we had and what was being done. It was a good validation not only for us, but also for them," Pasquier said. "We were certainly pleased with the conduct of the students and their professionalism."

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