Center for Industrial Research and Service • Iowa State University

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

December 14, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

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.

HUBZones – Everything you need to know

December 13, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

Did you know that at the end of 2016 and in early 2017 there were map changes to the qualified HUBZone areas throughout the U.S., including Iowa?

Iowa has a number of counties that have increased areas that are now HUBZone qualified!

Clark Boats Uses GSA Schedule to Buoy Government Sales

December 6, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

Kristy Carrier looked around one day and realized she was drowning.

CIRAS’ Second Annual Iowa Holiday Gift Guide

December 6, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

We make some really cool things in Iowa.

Most of them (like a robotic system from Acieta) aren’t very practical gifts. But when you produce as much as we do here in Iowa, there are tons of great gifts.

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

December 1, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

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

November 17, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

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.

Thousands Commemorate ‘MFG Day’ – with Talks, Tours, Walking Tacos

November 17, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

For Eric Cook, national Manufacturing Day was a chance to show 40 high school vocational students what the future may hold.

“They get exposure,” Cook said. “Just seeing what’s out there, seeing what the job takes, what it’s really like out on the shop floor.”

CIRAS Spotlight: Kimberly Anderson

November 2, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

CIRAS specialists know a lot about Iowa businesses. Here are a few questions and answers to help you learn a little more about them:

CIRAS Spotlight: Chris Hill

October 17, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

CIRAS specialists know a lot about Iowa businesses. Here are a few questions and answers to help you learn a little more about them:

Good Strategic Planning Starts with a SWOT

October 12, 2017 • Jeff Eckhoff

Usually, when you’re trying to take a cold, hard look at your future, it’s best to do it with fresh eyes.

That, according to Greg Ervin, is partly why Marion-based Timberline Manufacturing Co. has been working with CIRAS to plan the company’s best path to growth. Timberline, a maker of wire harnesses, control panels, and custom electronics that is now in its fifth year as an employee-owned business, approached CIRAS roughly a year ago seeking help with mapping the next portion of its future.