Sandvik Coromant (www.coromant.sandvik.com/us) has joined with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) to develop the NAIT Sandvik Coromant Centre for Machinist Technology in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The institute was designed to be one of the pre-eminent institutes of technology in Canada. It provides real-world education in business, advanced technologies and skilled trades to students in 15 locations across Alberta and in 23 countries around the world.
The institute’s new facility is almost three times the size of the previous training space and will increase the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s apprenticeship training capacity by 60 percent – to 660 apprentices per year.
“Sharing knowledge and investing in the future is crucial for our future success,” said Ross Carpino, Manager, Sandvik Coromant Canada.
“Properly trained and educated people are of great strategic interest for the manufacturing industry all over the globe. By supporting the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology we will help our customers improve their productivity by increasing their access to more skilled machinists.”
“Sandvik Coromant’s business philosophy is a good fit with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s approach to learning,” said Dr. Sam Shaw, president and chief executive officer of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
“Sandvik Coromant invests considerably each year in research and development to help make its customers more productive and profitable. Using innovation and technology to solve real world problems is exactly what the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is trying to foster through applied research.”
Sandvik Coromant also has announced it intends to increase the size of its research and development department by nearly 20 percent, adding 40 new employees over the next three years. Between its R&D department and the research center for cemented carbides in Vastberga, Sweden, the company has more than 200 employees.
“Customers’ own rate of change has increased and we have to respond to their new needs by having new solutions ready much faster than before,” Magnus Ekback, manager of research and development at Sandvik Coromant, said.
“With increased R&D resources, we can further shorten the lead time for new products, knowledge and methodologies.”
The most substantial phase of hiring will take place in 2008. The company expects to fill more 20 new positions during this calendar year.
