ProMat 2015 Student Days ready to welcome students, faculty

Spanning two days this year, ProMat 2015 Student Days welcomes students and faculty members from universities, community colleges, technical schools and high schools. On Wednesday and Thursday, the various groups will participate in a series of programs related to supply chain, materials handling, logistics, engineering and industrial distribution.

Starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday in McCormick Place South’s Vista Ballroom (Room S406-A), students will convene for the 12th-consecutive installment of Classroom Day. The event is sponsored by MHI’s College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) and Technical Career Education Program (TCEP), in partnership with the Material Handling Education Foundation Inc. (MHEFI) and the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA).

“The opportunity to spend time at the show offers students a better understanding of the latest industry developments,” said Gary Forger, MHI’s managing director of professional development. “They get a chance to see the wide variety of solutions that support the flow of materials throughout the supply chain for both manufacturing and distribution operations, all in one place.”

Classroom Day is so important to MHI’s Board of Governors, added Forger, that they set aside travel grants to be awarded among attending schools on a first-come/first-served basis. “Because of these grants, more than 175 students are expected to participate,” he noted.

The students’ morning kicks off with a brief overview of how materials handling and logistics solutions make goods flow, how solutions are developed, current and future trends, people and jobs in the industry. They will also get an introduction to the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics and how it impacts the future of the industry and their careers. A packet of educational materials from CICMHE, TCEP, MHI and MHEDA to help them better understand the show and the industry will also be distributed.

At 10:45 a.m., students and professors will split into groups to take a guided tour of the show floor. Industry experts at selected show booths will be on hand to discuss the materials handling industry, solutions, technologies and careers.

During lunch, former high school English teacher turned stand-up comedian and motivational speaker Jeff Havens will give the group an exclusive professional development keynote presentation. After that, all students will be divided into small group sessions to discuss the Roadmap.

New this year, on Wednesday afternoon from 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Associated (Booth 3862) is sponsoring a Networking and Careers Reception in McCormick Place South’s Room S103BC to give university and community college students, faculty and industry leaders an opportunity to mingle. Classroom Day exhibitors, tour guides, MHEFI Board Members and scholarship donors are also welcome to participate in this event. “The reception is a chance for the workforce of the future to network with potential future employers,” Forger said.

The addition of education-centric events on Thursday is also new to ProMat. Two separate activities are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. University and community college students and faculty will board buses departing from McCormick Place to see real world materials handling technology applications at one of two Chicago-area distribution facilities: Lawson Products and Wirtz Beverage.

At the same time, the technical high school students and educators will engage in an activity to find what’s next in real world applications within the supply chain industry.

“We’re excited to offer students and educators the chance to see our industry’s solutions in action,” Forger said. “It puts the technologies they’ve seen on the show floor into a real world context.”

ProMat 2015 is scheduled to be held March 23-26, 2014 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the material handling and logistics industry. Modern’s complete ProMat 2015 coverage.