Rockwell Collins contributes $100,000 to University of Regina Lean manufacturing program

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa .- Rockwell Collins has contributed $100,000 to the Lean Manufacturing Training Program at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. The university’s program is designed to teach students how to implement continuous process improvement while eliminating waste.

“At Rockwell Collins, we have embraced Lean manufacturing principles as a way of delivering greater value to our customers,” said Greg Churchill, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Rockwell Collins Government Systems. “By learning Lean today, University of Regina students will bring these important principles to companies in the future.”

“Through this investment, Rockwell Collins is providing the University of Regina’s faculty of engineering with an opportunity to expand our offerings,” said University of Regina Dean of Engineering, Paitoon Tontiwachwuthikul. “The enhanced lean manufacturing training will provide a competitive advantage both to our students and the companies that will employ them.”

The contribution is part of Canada’s Industrial and Regional Benefits (IRB) Program. The IRB procurement policy ensures that foreign companies invest in Canada’s regional economic development at a level similar in value to the amount of awarded contracts.

“The continued support and investment of Rockwell Collins in Saskatchewan is significant and appreciated,” Saskatchewan Enterprise and Innovation Minister Lyle Stewart said. “The people of our manufacturing industry are highly innovative and motivated. The growing importance of the Lean manufacturing practices we continue to integrate into our training and production activities cannot be understated as our products reach a widening global market.”

In 2006, Rockwell Collins was selected by General Dynamics Canada, part of the Sikorsky Aircraft-led Maritime Helicopter Team, to provide tactical data link capability for Canada’s Maritime Helicopter Project (MHP).