TMCnet News
Miller Ingenuity's Creation Station Offers Its Employees, Customers, and the Regional Community a Creative "Think Tank" Space for InnovationWINONA, Minn. --(Business Wire)-- Miller Ingenuity, manufacturer of innovative products for the transportation industry globally, opened Creation Station in its Winona, Minnesota factory. The state-of-the-art 1,200 sq.ft. collaborative space, which formerly housed manufacturing, is now an incubator for innovation where ALL members of the company are invited to come and think differently about ways to service the customer and the community. The Google (News - Alert)-like campus within a factory is a first of its kind in Minnesota and for the U.S. manufacturing industry. 
Two Miller Ingenuity employees help host (L-R) Representative Steve Drazkowski, Senator Matt Schmitt, Miller Ingenuity President & CEO Steve Blue, Representative Gene Pelowski, and U.S. Congressman Timothy Walz who were on hand for the opening of Miller Ingenuity's Creation Station. (Photo: Business Wire) "Creation Station is a big investment in creativity and entrepreneurialim in manufacturing at a level where it needs a shot in the arm," said Steve Blue, Miller Ingenuity President and CEO. "We looked at the business landscape where billion dollar technology companies, such as Google and Apple (News - Alert), dominate the headlines and are revered for their creativity-supporting cultures and thought - our manufacturing employees are just as forward-thinking." Creation Station offers a flexible workspace designed for both large and more intimate presentations, trainings and meetings. From the Caboose Café with its all-day dining choices to the high-tech audio visual smart boards, all were imagined and engineered to encourage solution-based creative brainstorming. "We're proving time and time again that Southern Minnesota is leading America's manufacturing renaissance," U.S. Representative Tim Walz said. "Creation Station is another example of folks here at home searching for innovative ways to invest in our community, create local jobs, and grow our economy. I applaud Miller Ingenuity for leaning forward and taking this bold step." Miller Ingenuity has quadrupled its size in recent years, thanks to its talented workforce, and has strategic plans in place to continue this growth over the next couple of years. It's grown from a regional company with two customers in the United States to a global powerhouse with customers on almost every continent. Miller Ingenuity also announced the launch of The Miller Ingenuity Challenge. The contest invites ALL college students to submit plans and creative ideas in response to the challenge - How Might American Manufacturers Attract the Best and Brightest Innovative Minds to Pursue Careers in the Manufacturing Industry. The best solutions will win: 1st place $7,000; 2nd place $2,000; and 3rd place $1,000. Learn more at www.ingenuitychallenge2014.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20141024005586/en/ |
