Oregon R&D Facility Adds CGTech, Summit to Membership

The Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center Research and Development (OMIC R&D) has added CGTech (Irvine, California) and Oregon-based manufacturer Summit to its company membership. With fifteen manufacturing industry partners and three Oregon public universities, the Scappoose, Oregon, R&D facility is continuing to develop advanced metals manufacturing technologies.

OMIC R&D is the 15th research center established with Boeing leadership worldwide and the first Boeing has sponsored in the United States. Its mission is to bring together manufacturing companies and higher education to solve real problems for advanced manufacturers while training the next generation of engineers and technologists.

The company’s model focuses on helping increase competitiveness while creating a partnership with and integration into the local economy. As research activities expand and machinery is added to the production floor, it expects eventually to increase state and regional commercial productivity in manufacturing and to stimulate economic growth and development.

OMIC R&D will coordinate its applied research projects with hands-on “earn-and-learn” apprenticeship programs at OMIC Training Center led by Portland Community College (PCC). The training center, scheduled to open in fall 2020, will emphasize craftsmanship, professionalism and placement of graduates into high-wage, high-demand jobs. Students will be able to complete associate degrees or certificates that can lead to advanced degrees. While construction is underway, PCC will have a temporary site at Scappoose High School.

Matt Carter, chair of the OMIC R&D Board of Governors says, “We welcome CGTech and Summit to the OMIC R&D partnership and know that they will broaden our expertise in metals manufacturing. Both of these organizations have high-quality reputations, and we know they will add great value to the innovation environment that we are creating with this impressive group of organizations.”

Summit, produces steel-based products for commercial and industrial use. Its capabilities include fabrication, laser cutting, press brake and band sawing. They also provide contract manufacturing and fabrication services.

CGTech and Summit join sixteen other members in the OMIC R&D facility: ATI, Blount International, The Boeing Company, Daimler Trucks North America, Hangsterfer’s Laboratories Inc., Kennametal, Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, OSG USA Inc., Silver Eagle Manufacturing, Vigor, Walter Tools, WFL Millturn Technologies, Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech), Oregon State University and Portland State University.