Emerson to address digital skill shortage with Brewing Innovation Centre
The centre will be funded by a joint investment to serve as an educational hub for the Fermentation Sciences and Technology division focusing on digital technology and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Prepare for the job market
“Partnerships like these enable us to give our students experience with industry standards and help them prepare for the job market,” said Jeff Callaway, associate director, Fermentation Science and Technology, CSU.
“The centre will enhance our fermentation science academic programme while strengthening ties to the industry.”
According to the Brewers Association the number of US breweries increased at a rate of 321% from 2007-2017 and there is growing demand for highly skilled workers with expertise in fermentation sciences and proficiency in automation technologies.
Emerson’s technology enables brewing companies to optimise operations, detect and address quality issues in real time, reduce downtime and shorten changeovers.
The Emerson Brewing Innovation Centre will open in the Gifford Building on CSU’s Fort Collins campus and feature two brewing systems.
Emerson Impact Partner Lakeside will build the systems comprising Emerson’s Plantweb portfolio of IIoT technologies used in brewing automation: a DeltaV distributed control system, Micro Motion flow meters, Rosemount measurement technology and ASCO and Baumann valves.
Education partnerships
Emerson’s collaboration with CSU is one of more than 350 secondary education partnerships worldwide that support projects to address the skills gap in digital automation technologies.
“We are focused on helping train the digital workforce of the future while advancing education, innovation and diversity in the industry,” said Lal Karsanbhai, executive president, Emerson’s Automation Solutions business.
“The Emerson Brewing Innovation Centre will mark the beginning of a strong and continued partnership with CSU.”
Emerson is donating $10,000 towards a CSU diversity fellowship to set up the Brewing Innovation Centre and a scholarship for the fermentation programme.
