MSU, Corinth manufacturer form partnership

Mississippi State and a large Alcorn County manufacturing operation are forming a partnership aimed at expanding the ties between the university and state industry.

CMC Industries president Michael Driste (r) and A. Wayne Bennett, dean of the College of Engineering, sign a partnership agreement between the university and the electronics manufacturer.

CMC Industries Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based international producer of electronics, owns a plant in Corinth producing circuit boards used in computers, telephones and other electronic equipment. Covering 350,000 square feet and employing more than 850 people, the Mississippi facility is one of the largest electronics manufacturing operations in North America.

The recently signed partnership pledges mutual support between Mississippi State and CMC, said A. Wayne Bennett, dean of the College of Engineering. He said efforts are under way to establish similar arrangements with other state industries.

"This agreement offers our engineering faculty and students a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with a major state manufacturer and put classroom lessons into practice," Bennett said. "Our contribution will be the technical expertise available through the Engineering Research Center, as well as our industrial, mechanical, electrical and computer, and chemical engineering departments."

Opened in 1991, the cross-disciplinary Engineering Research Center is one of more than two dozen supported by the National Science Foundation to help ensure that the design of American manufacturing processes and products continue to meet the increasingly sophisticated demands of international consumers.

CMC president Michael Driste said communication channels opened up by the agreement will help with the introduction of state-of-the-art practices into the company.

"The collaboration with the university also will expose students graduating from MSU's engineering programs to some of the challenging job opportunities right here in their home state," Driste said.