March 8, 2023

Alabama Productivity Center

2023 Spring Newsletter

In this Issue:

Student Internship Update

Fall 2022 Student Recorded Impacts

Summer 2023 Internship Opportunities

Success Stories

Tom Morgan Retirement

About Us

Student Internships

Fall 2022 Interns

The APC had 24 Spring interns at 11 different companies. Ranging from engineering, business, and MIS. See below for the student recorded impacts from our 2022 Fall interns.

Fall 2023 Student Recorded Impacts

The above numbers represent student recorded impacts. No impacts from MEP Survey data is listed above. Student Recorded Impact criteria is listed as follows: increased sales, jobs retained and created, avoided fines, time reductions, and investments.

Summer 2023 Internship Opportunities

Reasons to Hire?

Discover new talent
Reduce employee workload
Increase productivity and retention
New perspective on organizational issues
Create real cost-saving impacts
Support from the APC staff and University resources

Who to Hire?

Management Information
Operation Management
Engineering
Marketing
Computer Science
Fiance
Accounting

We can pull from any and all disciplines! Listed above are our most popular.

Students work 40 hours a week during the summer semester. Our staff follows up with the intern on a regular basis to insure the intern is supported, motivated, learning, and creating impacts for the company. Contact us below to find out more!

Huntsville Area:

Jan Ingenrieth

jringenrieth@cba.ua.edu

(205) 242 - 6057

Birmingham Area:

Alan Hill

ahill@cba.ua.edu

(205) 222-7111

Tuscaloosa Area:

Morgan Harrison

mharrison@cba.ua.edu

(251) 767 - 0678

Greater Mobile/Baldwin Areas:

Justin Rodgers

jprodgers@cba.ua.edu

(251) 234 - 1724

Success Stories

Precision Coil and Rotor engaged APC to assist with an internal audit of their ISO Quality Management System and to diagnose an issue with a client's AC electric motor. Precision Coil and Rotor is certified to the ISO 9001-2015 international quality management standard, and APC's audit helped them accurately grade their performance and conformance to their processes, leading to increased and retained sales. APC utilized Finite Element Analysis to investigate the cause of failure in the client's original AC motors, which allowed Precision Coil and Rotor to make necessary adjustments to prevent future failures.

The APC conducted standard time studies and methods-time measurement (MTM) time studies for Motherson's three plants located in Alabama, which produce injection molded parts for Mercedes-Benz US International (MBUSI). Motherson's production follows a just-in-time and in-sequence style, where the sequence of parts shipped to MBUSI matches the sequence of cars being produced. To accurately gauge improvement opportunities, Motherson partnered with APC to perform time studies throughout their facilities. APC utilized the Maynard Operational Sequence Technique (M.O.S.T.) for the MTM time study, analyzing over 500 workstations in detail. APC provided training on M.O.S.T. and the custom tool developed for the project to over a dozen Motherson employees. Fifteen University of Alabama student interns were involved in the project, gaining valuable experience in time studies and manufacturing.

Tom Morgan Retirement

I have had the pleasure of knowing Tom Morgan for nearly 20 years. Much of that time he spent working for the Alabama Productivity Center, although his Engineering career spanned nearly 45 years. Tom announced his retirement late last year and January 31st came a lot sooner than any of us wanted it

to. He was a seasoned professional in his approach to working with our clients and a great mentor to our student interns. I lost count of the impacts Tom created for our industry clients but his biggest impact was on the college interns that went through our program. Tom will be missed, and we all wish

him the very best in his retirement.

Alan Hill

Executive Director

Alabama Productivity Center

About Us

In an effort to improve economic development in the state of Alabama, the Alabama Productivity Center was established on January 1, 1986, on the University of Alabama campus. The mission of the APC is to focus research and educational resources on the enhancement of productivity and quality within Alabama businesses and the state's industry.

The Alabama Productivity Center, a non-profit organization, is an outgrowth of a 1983 joint venture of the University of Alabama and General Motors to save a Tuscaloosa GM plant from closing. The positive experience utilizing university faculty and students to save Alabama jobs led to the establishment and sponsorship by Alabama Power Company and the University of Alabama.

In 1996, APC became home to Region 3 of the Alabama Technology Network (ATN), the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the state of Alabama. Headquartered in Montgomery, the ATN brings together a set of sixteen regional centers covering the entire state and serving the technical assistance and workforce development needs of small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms.

The APC’s accomplishments, such as recognition by the National Council for Urban Development and the U.S. Economic Development Administration as an “innovative” and “imaginative” program, demonstrate that the APC is a valuable resource for Alabama businesses.

Thank you for your support of the Alabama Productivity Center. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us through our website or social media.

Thank you,

Alabama Productivity Center Staff

Alabama Productivity Center

2008 12th Street

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

(205) 348-8956

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