CARLSTADT, NJ — Hyundai WIA recently hosted a ceremony during IMTS to mark the donation of their latest generation VMC, a F400 Value Master - Vertical Machining Center, to the Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center (HPVEC) of City Colleges of Chicago. The donation took place Tuesday, September 11th, in the South Hall, Booth #S-8948, of McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

Zin Young Hong, senior vice president of Hyundai WIA’s Machine Tool Division, visited Chicago September 10-12th to attend IMTS, which is a biennial trade show serving the manufacturing industry. During Mr. Hong’s visit, a ceremony was held Tue sday, September 11th inside Hyundai WIA’s 10,000 square foot exhibit, to present the F400 Value Master machine to the administrative board of HPVEC.

In addition, Mr. Ki Hyo Park, president of Hyundai WIA America, formally announced Hyundai WIA’s plans to construct its Midwestern Technology Center in the Chicago area, which will serve the region’s manufacturing community.

According to Dave Barber, marketing manager, Hyundai WIA America, “Hyundai WIA’s donation of an F400VM VMC to Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center (HPVEC) of the City Colleges of Chicago is only the first step in the company’s long-term efforts to strengthen manufacturing education in the Chicago area. Given the IMTS show, the mismatch between people looking for work and companies looking to fill technical positions, coupled with the fact that educational outreach to local manufacturers will be a major focus of Hyundai WIA’s new technical center, we thought this donation would be a great opportunity to start advancing on some of the company’s larger goals here in Chicago.”

James Wall, executive director, National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) remarked that “the Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center (HPVEC) of Wilbur Wright College has been a leader in terms of NIMS credentialing within the City of Chicago. Since 2007 over 370 students have been awarded NIMS certifications. More impressive is the fact that approximately 150 CNC certifications have been earned by HPVEC students within the past 12 months. The addition of the Hyundai WIA CNC Vertical Machining Center will reinforce the ability of the HPVEC's CNC training program to train to industry standards, ultimately contributing to the legacy and advancement of a globally competitive workforce.”

Doug Woods, President of AMT — The Association For Manufacturing Technology, added the following: “At a time when federal, state, and local funds for education are under strain, while at the same time the manufacturing industry is in need of displaced workers and young people seeking post-secondary education in manufacturing degree programs, AMT has been encouraging its member companies to work more closely with schools to help fill budget shortfalls. The donation of this machine to the Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center by Hyundai WIA is a terrific example of industry working in partnership with schools to make sure that state-of-the-art equipment is in place for hands-on training.”

Woods continued, “Because this machine is being placed in a school that is within close proximity to Hyundai WIA’s new Tech Center in the Chicago area, there are greater opportunities for mentoring the next generation of critically thinking, technology savvy, and motivated young people through the CNC program.”

Attendees to the Tuesday morning ceremony included representatives of AMT-The Association for Manufacturing Technology, the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council, the City Colleges of Chicago, local government officials, trade journalists and a number of IMTS attendees.

The machine itself is one of two models in the company’s new Value Master Series VMCs, a line that features high-performance options such as a 30-tool swing-arm ATC, through-spindle coolant, Big Plus tooling, rigid tapping, larger Y-axis travels, faster rapids and more. The idea is to eliminate the need for shops to sacrifice performance for price, Barber says.

Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center (HPVEC) was one of 43 schools who applied to receive the machine donation prior to IMTS. According to the company, it was chosen based on a detailed assessment of each school’s accreditation, curriculum, number of students and current list of equipment, among other factors.