Marquette University students now have access to state-of-the-art automation technologies that will help them prepare for careers in today’s manufacturing industry.

The Omron Foundation, has gifted over $1 million to Marquette University's Opus College of Engineering to establish the Omron Advanced Automation Lab. This lab provides Marquette students with hands-on, industry-relevant experience in designing, building, and testing solutions that use state-of-the-art automation technologies. These hands-on experiences are essential for understanding the capabilities of any industrial system.

Part of Omron's donation included a variety of its own advanced automation solutions such as collaborative robots, industrial robots, vision systems, safety components, and other next-generation technologies. The lab will act as a multidisciplinary space that educates both engineering and business students on ways to implement Industry 4.0 into the design, manufacturing, and delivery of products. Lab stations will teach students the foundational building blocks of industrial automation, while a components library will challenge students to identify which components are necessary to complete their tasks.

Omron and Marquette University held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the lab on March 2nd, 2023. "Omron Automation is pound and honored to be part of this celebration. The lab brings together the technologies, business, and engineering to its students and helps them understand where their engineering degree can take their career," says Robb Black, CEO & COO of Omron Automation Americas. "Omron long believed the power of co-creation through partners including academy to drive the future."

"We are grateful to partner with Omron for this lab where students will have the opportunity to learn best in an engaged environment that will foster experimentation, innovation, and sometimes failure," said Dr. Philip Voglewede, associate professor of mechanical engineering. "This lab has an intentional design that will teach students subsystem design and implementation from both a business and the engineering perspective."

"This investment will not only enable bridging the gap between engineering and supply chain, but also allow for helping local business in reskilling, upskilling and newskilling of the existing labor force, given the shortage of skills in advanced manufacturing and supply chain space," added Dr. Marko Bastl, associate professor of information systems, analytics and supply chain management, and director of Marquette's Center for Supply Chain Management.

This gift also supports the mechanical engineering graduate program and an endowed scholarship. The lab allows for more collaboration between students in the Opus College of Engineering and the College of Business Administration, mirroring projects and experiences they will encounter after graduating. Omron is continuously supporting the university's educational needs not only through the Lab, but also through the support of Marquette's graduate certificate in advanced engineering.

About Omron Foundation, Inc.
Founded in 1989, OMRON Foundation, Inc. (OFI) coordinates the charitable efforts of Omron offices in the U.S. to achieve the greatest positive social impact. The Foundation is funded by Omron's subsidiaries in the U.S., which contribute a portion of sales revenue to the Foundation. The Foundation divides its charitable resources among organizations benefiting education, people with disabilities, cultural programs, health, and other social concerns including disaster relief.

About Omron Automation
Omron Automation is an industrial automation partner that creates, sells, and services fully integrated automation solutions that include sensing, control, safety, vision, motion, robotics, and more. Established in 1933 and currently headed by President Yoshihito Yamada, Omron's 30,000 employees help businesses solve problems with creativity in more than 110 countries. Learn more at automation.omron.com.