Year: 2017

New CIRAS Funding ‘Embeds’ Iowa Manufacturers in Major Industrial Research

AMES, IA – Iowa manufacturers now have improved access to future advancements in chemical and biochemical manufacturing because of a new grant awarded to Iowa State University’s Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) and the Iowa State Bioeconomy Institute. The award, which comes as part of a nationwide pilot project to embed ground-level manufacturing experts in the middle of ongoing major research, is designed to build a bridge between small- to medium-sized American factories and the scientists who work at 15 major research institutes, known collectively as Manufacturing USA.

American Coating and Welding Growing Rapidly—With CIRAS by Its Side

CIRAS government contracting specialist Andy Alexander was eating breakfast in downtown Onawa one morning in 2014 when he suddenly came face-to-face with the aspirations of a Monona County sheriff’s deputy. “He walked in and wanted to know if that was my government car out there,” Alexander recalls. “I thought he was going to give me a ticket.”

CIRAS Helps Clarion Packaging with Search for Sturdier Future

A major manufacturer of egg flats and fast-food drink carriers has turned to CIRAS for help with the next phase of improving its business. Clarion Packaging—a 100-employee plant in Clarion, Iowa, with a sister facility in Brook, Indiana—first approached CIRAS roughly two years ago for help achieving food safety certification. The company now is working with CIRAS to test its product quality and plan for the future.