Share this article:
October 24, 2024 - mississippi state, ms
MISSISSIPPI STATE, MS – On October 24th, 6 SEC schools from across the country gathered at the IDEE Lab at Mississippi State University to compete in an SEC Machining competition. This two-day event provided a platform for the teams to showcase their expertise in a variety of areas such as CNC programming and machining.
The Project MFG SEC Machining Competition showcases collegiate teams representing their college’s engineering programs that have come to compete against each other in a manufacturing competition like no other for top marks and bragging rights!
Schools that Competed:
- The University of Tennessee
- University of Arkansas
- University of Missouri
- Mississippi State University
- Texas A&M University
- Auburn University
Alongside the competition, students were given educational opportunities to take tours at the university’s Advanced Composite Facility. The Advanced Composites Institute, or ACI, focuses on pioneering transformational composite technologies in a variety of critical sectors, including aerospace, civil, military, energy, automotive, and other emerging markets.
The mission of ACI is to initiate, lead, and facilitate high-utility, strategic programs that drive innovation and nucleate applied research and economic development in the composites industry via collaborative partnerships with universities, U.S. government agencies and industry associates.
The second students tour was to visit the PACCAR Engine Company production center. It provided an excellent opportunity for them to witness the process of manufacturing engines firsthand, gain insights into the machining and production processes, and explore potential job opportunities available to them.
Adele Ratcliff, Director of Innovation & Modernization from the Department of Defense welcomed the students and encouraged them to dig deep and embrace the competition ahead of them. “We are here to restore the presence of real manufacturing in the engineering sector. When we started on this journey trying to figure out how to do that, the one thing that we knew was that we still had our competitive spirit. So, we designed a competition that would stress you, and challenge you, with an aim to introduce this as a core of our engineering programs, not for you just to come here and do a competition.” said Ratcliff before kicking off the competition by ringing the honorary Mississippi State Cowbell.
During the competition, an outreach event, Project MFG Career Discovery, was also held. Local industry partners were invited to come to the event to speak to competitors about careers in manufacturing. Project MFG was honored to have Americas Cutting Edge (ACE), as well as the U.S. Navy in attendance. This gave students the opportunity to learn about the possibilities of their futures in manufacturing and machining and network with current professionals in the industry.
Once completed, the projects were judged and the top three schools were announced.
The winners of the 2024 SEC Machining Competition were:
First Place: Auburn University
Second Place: Mississippi State University
Third Place: University of Tennessee
Project MFG collaborates with local communities to find ways to elevate and help raise awareness of the need for highly skilled trade professionals in the area. This year’s SEC Machining competition was a success made possible by our fantastic host site, Mississippi State University, and our gracious sponsors: Mastercam, Zeiss, Gene Haas Foundation, and Haas Automation.
meet the winners
about Mississippi State's ideelab
IDEELab, which stands for the Innovation Design Engineering Educational Laboratory, is a research and development center situated at Mississippi State University. Nestled within the Hall School of Mechanical Engineering, it represents a collaboration between academia and industry with the following objectives:
Enhance workforce development
Foster industry partnerships
Propel technological advancements
Boost competitiveness
Equip a skilled workforce
The mission of IDEELab is to elevate the Workforce Readiness Level (WRL) for engineering students and industry professionals. The lab provides students with practical experience and access to high-TRL manufacturing tools and design spaces.
about project mfg
Project MFG shines a light on the need and opportunities for skilled trades by focusing on the development of new talent to provide a path forward for individuals and our country. As an integrated workforce development and recruitment effort, Project MFG collaborates across communities, the private sector, and government to expand the U.S. industrial base workforce.
For more information about Project MFG competitions and future events,
please visit projectmfg.com or contact marketing@projectmfg.com.
