NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre

The Centre's 2856 sq. m. facility houses nine labs with $4.4 million of new equipment and $5.6 million of new software. The Centre offers:

Laboratories and Facilities that Include

• Advanced Hydraulics & Pneumatics Lab
• Two Mechanical Computer Assisted Design Labs
• Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) Lab
• Advanced Manufacturing Lab
• Manufacturing Operations Lab
• Advanced Computer Applications Lab
• Programmable Logic Controller Lab
• Metrology/Inspection Lab
• Three smart classrooms wired to take advantage of the latest technologies, including data projection and network access
• Offices for 20 instructional and support staff

• Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly called Great Plains)
• Microsoft Dynamics SL (formerly called Solomon)
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV (formerly called Navision)
• Microsoft Dynamics AX (formerly called Axapta)
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Customer Relations Management)

These Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software packages may be deployed by an organization to improve its productivity. These tools allow an organization to prepare a scorecard on its performance while integrating projects, sales, inventory, customers’ needs, accruals, revenues and budgets.

This software helps companies monitor operating conditions, enhance process performance, and report equipment downtime. The software can also optimize operations by integrating real-time system operations with most business software applications. The donated software includes:

• Matrikon™ Control Performance Monitor (formerly ProcessDoctor)
• Matrikon™ Alarm Manager (formerly ProcessGuard)
• Matrikon™ Operational Insight (ProcessNet)
• Matrikon OPC

Other Technologically Advanced Features

• Alberta SuperNet connection and campus-wide Wi-Fi network
• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system
• Monitoring systems

Links to External Resources

The 2007 Federal Budget offers an accelerated Capital Cost Allowance schedule. This will particularly help manufacturing companies seeking to upgrade to modern equipment.