Kansas State Opens Center to Study Wind Energy Supply Chain

Great Lakes WIND Network (GLWN), a supply chain network and advisory group, has named the Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AMI) at Kansas State University as its center of excellence to expand its supply chain development efforts across the state of Kansas.

As wind energy original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and component suppliers continue to expand across the U.S. market, there is a growing need to develop the component supply chain in order to increase industry capacity, reduce logistic costs, and increase U.S. manufactured content. The GLWN works with OEMs to assess readiness and capabilities of prospective component suppliers who wish to enter the wind industry's manufacturing supply chain. The organization also helps connect OEMs with competitive component suppliers across the United States.

GLWN expects to establish a limited number of designated centers of excellence that serve key regions of the country where the wind industry is actively making new manufacturing investments and/or existing manufacturers are actively pursuing industry participation.

AMI is a department within the College of Engineering at Kansas State University which provides engineering and business services to manufacturers and entrepreneurs. AMI's engineering staff will work directly with GLWN staff to provide site assessments for manufacturers wishing to enter the wind industry supply chain, make recommendations on possible components to be supplied, and assess the organization's overall production system.

Additionally, the partnership will enable companies who have met suitable criteria to participate in the GLWN Wind Alert System, which informs potential suppliers when an OEM or upper tier supplier is sourcing a specific component that they are capable of producing.

In addition to conducting on-site evaluations, the partnership will facilitate workshops across the state for manufacturers who are interested in entering the wind industry to become better informed regarding the opportunities and hurdles posed by the wind industry.

Source: http://logisticstoday.com/