Shared Resources Lead to More Opportunities

West Virginia manufacturers and individuals who need access to world-class tools, training and support will find them at the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI). In the words of Senator Byrd, RCBI is a “teaching factory” where West Virginians can learn how to win new shares of the world market for their goods and products, create jobs and offer new opportunities for a better, more prosperous life.

To achieve worldwide competitive capacity is no small thing, especially for a small to medium-sized manufacturer. It takes state-of-the-industry equipment, outstanding technical expertise, resourcefulness and, sometimes, a little luck—and that’s just to produce the prototype. Lucky for you there’s RCBI and our Shared Manufacturing and Technical Services group.

Each of RCBI’s statewide Manufacturing Technology Centers offers a full range of major league, state-of-the-market CNC manufacturing equipment that you can share with other companies to produce your prototypes and short production runs, all through our low-cost leasing program.

Each Center is staffed with a technical manager and a CNC machinist. These technical experts are there for one reason, and that’s to assist you with demonstrations and technical training in programming, set-up and operation of the equipment. They’re fully aware of the challenges you face as you compete for valuable DoD contracts, and they take pride in helping you succeed.

Additionally, each site is equipped with sophisticated computer lab and videoconferencing facilities — a little something extra to help smaller shops compete in a big world.

You supply an operator, raw materials, any perishable tooling and your share of resourcefulness. The dedicated team at RCBI will take it from there.

RCBI partners with Haas Automation

Through partnerships with national equipment vendors, RCBI continues to provide access to the type of high tech production equipment that offers manufacturers a boost in the global market.

Working with Haas Automation, Inc., which proudly bills itself “the largest CNC machine tool builder in the Western World,” RCBI now offers Haas VF-2 machining centers, a Haas ST-10 CNC lathes, a Haas TL-3 CNC/manual lathes and Haas TM-2 mills.

RCBI provides shop-floor space for this computer-controlled equipment and makes it available to manufacturers to meet their training and production needs.

For more than 15 years RCBI has taken advantage of such partnership arrangements, which have resulted in making available more than a half-million dollars worth of production equipment. Vendors including Haas, the Davis-Taylor-Forster Co. (DTF), Cincinnati Machine, and Blue Ridge Machinery and Tools have placed equipment at RCBI Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centers to meet industry’s workforce development, training and production needs.

This high tech equipment, and more, is available now. For more information, call 800.469.RCBI (7224) or e-mail mfg@rcbi.org

Bridgeport Manufacturing Technology Center - Staff & Equipment

Charleston Manufacturing Technology Center - Staff & Equipment

Huntington Manufacturing Technology Center - Staff & Equipment

Rocket Center Manufacturing Techology Center - Staff & Equipment