Investing in new technology can be risky. The financial outlay can be high, and confidence that the technology will deliver an adequate return on investment can be low. Similar to numerous manufacturers, Dickson Industries, a Des Moines-based company specializing in custom food packaging and textiles, had the potential to increase its sales. However, like other … Continue reading Dickson Turns to CIRAS for Automation Support
Author: eknudsen
Navigating Artificial Intelligence Opportunities
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a widely available method to translate once mundane and tedious tasks into efficient automated processes with assistance from computer systems in place of human labor. Due to the availability of technologies like ChatGPT, access to the benefits of AI is more prevalent now than ever before. But it is … Continue reading Navigating Artificial Intelligence Opportunities
Making Vital Supply Connections
David Blake, whose company Blue-9 Pet Products makes dog training and behavior products, needed a rubber mat. The specially designed mat is used on the KLIMB®, a platform used to train hunting/sport dogs. Blake’s mat maker was going out of business, leaving Blue-9 in need of a new vendor. He found one in South Dakota … Continue reading Making Vital Supply Connections
CIRAS Staff News: Meet Steve Forbes
Steve Forbes joined CIRAS as a Process Improvement Project Manager. Steve Forbes brings a rich background in Lean thinking and methodologies from various manufacturing environments. His most recent role was as the Lean Training Specialist for Iowa Prison Industries (IPI), where he co-developed the Prison Industries Manufacturing and Management System (PIMMS). PIMMS is a Toyota-based … Continue reading CIRAS Staff News: Meet Steve Forbes
CIRAS Offers Bid Express Training
An in-person training to better understand BidX and the DOT bidding systems will occur on Thursday, February 29th, in Ames. This software is an incredible tool to help vendors bid on DOT Contracts and Specifications projects and connect prime contractors to subcontractors. Lunch will be provided, and this event does require you to register in … Continue reading CIRAS Offers Bid Express Training
Enhance your meat processing capabilities with the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Program
The Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Program, managed by the Iowa Economic Development Authority, offers financial support to enhance small-scale meat processing operations, including licensed custom lockers and mobile slaughter units. The program targets businesses seeking to expand, refurbish, or establish new facilities, providing grants of up to $100,000 with a one-to-one matching requirement. For … Continue reading Enhance your meat processing capabilities with the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Program
Q & A with Melissa Burant
Q: Tell me about your job and how it contributes to the overall goals of CIRAS to help companies prosper. I like to say, I help companies solve their problems. This can mean I help them identify a new supplier or it can mean, I connect them to a resource either at CIRAS or external … Continue reading Q & A with Melissa Burant
Gearing Up for Next ExporTech
Participants in the next ExporTech 2.0 series can expect the same mix of in-person presentations and online content that made last year’s program so successful. “The hybrid format was well received by both the attendees and subject matter experts,” said Marc Schneider, a CIRAS project manager who leads ExporTech. “It provides a regular cadence for … Continue reading Gearing Up for Next ExporTech
Technology Solves Workforce Challenges
In a business environment where adoption of technology is increasingly important—but also increasingly overwhelming—CIRAS is helping Iowa businesses identify the best systems and reduce the risk of adopting those systems. A case in point is Osmundson Manufacturing in Perry. Osmundson makes agricultural tillage equipment. It is a constant challenge to prevent soft-tissue injuries and the … Continue reading Technology Solves Workforce Challenges
Connections Cultivate Value-Based Actions
Cruise down 350th Street in Osage and eventually you will drive past an eye-catching swath of land vibrant with wildflowers and butterflies. This 34-acre spread is the Jiri-Rita Prairie Park, which was developed by Valent BioSciences with support from CIRAS. The park symbolizes the value of connections: an Iowa company’s connection to its corporate values; … Continue reading Connections Cultivate Value-Based Actions