February 1, 2001

Some Call It The Extension Service For Business and Industry

Have you built a better mousetrap or a better mouse pad but need some help manufacturing or marketing your product? Your answer may be North Dakota State University’s Institute for Business and Industry Development (IBID).

"We see ourselves as the ‘front door’ to NDSU," says Wally Eide institute director. "We offer high quality unbiased advice, business and technical assistance, training and even proprietary research. If we don’t have the answers, we can point you to someone at NDSU that does. We’ve developed a database which contains the names and research interests of over 500 NDSU faculty.

IBID provides one-on-one consulting to identify and solve problems. "We’ve helped people with nuts and bolts issues like quality assurance, inventory control, plant layout, human resources and product design to the most involved questions concerning technology upgrades and electronic communications," notes Eide. "Our strength is that we have strong relationships with colleges within the University, particularly with the colleges of Business, Engineering, Agriculture and Human Development."

SpaceAge Synthetics Inc. of Fargo has extensively used the services of IBID. "I look at the Institute for Business and Industry Development as the extension service for manufacturers," says Randy Schneider, chief operating officer for SpaceAge Synthetics. "The institute has the interaction on a daily basis with all the talent that exists at NDSU. They can direct us to experts that can give us answers to our problems."

SpaceAge Synthetics produces specially manufactured and mass produced composite products designed to compete with conventional building materials. Composite materials are rapidly replacing conventional construction materials where strength, light weight and structural stability are required according to Schneider. "Whenever weight, moisture and strength are an issue, we’re a solution. Speaking generically, our product is about half the weight of wood, four times stronger and doesn’t absorb moisture."

The company, through the Institute for Business and Industry Development, has worked with a number of NDSU departments including; Industrial Engineering, Physics, Polymers and Coatings and Mechanical Engineering. "What we really want to do is have an ongoing relationship with NDSU," says Schneider. "We have a huge list of projects we are currently working on or will in the future."

Recently the mechanical engineering department did some product testing for SpaceAge synthetics prior to being sent to Minneapolis for certification. "Having the preliminary tests at NDSU saves us money because we’ll know before it’s sent to Minneapolis that the product will meet certification standards," notes Schneider. "Hopefully someday NDSU will be able to do product certification."

Currently NDSU’s industrial engineering and manufacturing department is working with Arnie Althoff, who is responsible for research and development at the company, on computer aided design software and "nesting" that will allow SpaceAge to do specialty cuts for clients. After installation and training, the software will be made available, at the company, to NDSU students. "Not only are we receiving valuable services from NDSU; We’re also giving something back," says Schneider. "We think it’s important that professors and students have materials in the classroom that are used in the real world."

Eide and Schneider both agree that student involvement is very important. SpaceAge Synthetics has had several students work at the company. Currently a student from NDSU’s electrical engineering department is helping to develop a logic controller for a new piece of equipment.

The Institute for Business and Industry Development has been in business for 10 years according to Eide. "We work with anywhere from 150 to 200 clients in an average year."

Eide encourages everyone involved with business and industry that has a problem to contact the IBID office at (701) 231-1001, email at ibid@ndsuext.nodak.edu or on the web at: www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ibid/

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Source: Wally Eide, (701) 231-1001, ibid@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Randy Schneider (701) 277-5631, SpaceAgeS@aol.com
Editor: Rich Mattern (701) 231-6136, Richard_Mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu