Gateway Celebrates Expansion of Industry 4.0 Center

Gateway Technical College celebrated the renovation and expansion ribbon-cutting ceremony at Gateway’s SC Johnson iMET Center on October 22. The expansion features added labs with cutting-edge training equipment to provide the framework for advanced manufacturing career skills. Some of the high-tech training equipment is portable, allowing college instructors to provide training on-site to area manufacturers and high schools.

“This expansion is not only great for the Racine County area, but it is great for Wisconsin’s manufacturing industry,” said Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. “And not just here in Wisconsin, and not just the country, but internationally, as well. Technology is driving the change in the way we live and work. We need to make sure we are ready to change with it, and this facility will help us adapt to that change.”

The center expanded by 35,800 square feet, and 12,080 square feet of existing space was remodeled as part of the project. The center is home to 12 academic programs taught with some of the most technologically advanced classrooms and equipment in advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Many national companies stepped forward to provide resources, equipment and industry knowledge to help make the center a local, and national, site of Industry 4.0 training.

“It benefits industry by creating a well-trained, talented workforce in emerging technologies such as advanced manufacturing, data analytics and high-performance computers,” said Richard Vincent, chief business officer, Foxconn Industrial Internet. It’s home to inventive education, giving faculty a place to create and develop new curriculum, and establishes a new paradigm of teaching innovation focused on hands-on experience.