NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre

The NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre (NSMC) was created in 2006 to assist Alberta industries with improving their business processes by providing productivity solutions using both time-tested and innovative technology, manufacturing expertise, and practical education, all in a collaborative environment. Supported by Western Economic Diversification (WED), Alberta Innovation & Science (AI&S), Federal and Provincial governments, Shell Canada, Microsoft, Matrikon, and NAIT, the Centre's purpose is to help Alberta's manufacturing industries, especially small and medium enterprises, become globally competitive.

The NSMC provides industry with exposure to leading edge manufacturing processes and ideas, and the services and support to enable these clients to apply them to their own products and environments. Our innovative facility offers a unique combination with Productivity Enhancement Services and Manufacturing Solutions.

Productivity Enhancement Services (PES)

Through PES, the NSMC offers more than 13 certificate programs aimed at increasing employee and personal productivity in areas such as:

• project leadership and management
• team-building
• conflict management
• risk management
• operations management
• quality management
• lean manufacturing

Programs can also be customized to meet an organization's specific staff development needs. For details on the specific training programs offered, please see:

• Professional Development for current program schedules and immediate registration
• Corporate Training for customizable programs

Manufacturing Solutions

The Manufacturing Solutions area serves as a sandbox for industry to conduct applied research in a collaborative environment to determine technology suitability for their operations. In our state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories, industry can test and conduct applied research into:

• rapid prototyping
• prototype development
• plan design
• robotics and automation
• fabrication
• ERP software solutions
• control systems
• and more

For more information and examples of the types of projects supported, see Manufacturing Solutions.

Mave Dhariwal, NSMC Operations Manager, says survival in today's competitive markplace demands that organizations practice using lean principles to improve their productivity by reducing waste.

"This means practicing principle-centred leadership, developing capacity, and adopting innovative technological solutions to reduce costs while improving quality of their products and services. The NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre has been designed to assist organizations to do just that."

In May 2009, the Centre received international recognition from the League for Innovation in the Community College, an international organization serving community colleges, for its focus on productivity gains through process innovation and advanced technologies, as well as manufacturing solutions.