While visiting the Toshiba Machine booth during NPE 2015 in Orlando, FL,  Academic Dean Mike McGee and Plastics Engineering Technology instructor Dan Ralph from Hennepin Technical College (HTC) in Minnesota were so impressed with the 1.8 second cycle time of the new EC30SX all-electric injection molding system that they purchased the demo unit right off the show floor.

This is the fourth machine that HTC has either purchased or received on consignment from Toshiba over the past 25 years. All are being used at HTC’s campus in Brooklyn Park, MN, to prepare the next generation of technicians for careers in the plastics industry. It’s a great example of the commitment that Toshiba and HTC have made to advance plastics manufacturing in the U.S. “We’ve been diligently working on a program to increase the next generation’s awareness of manufacturing so that we can maintain America’s strength in the global economy,” said Steve Cunningham, Toshiba Machine USA and

HTC is advancing these efforts as well. These comprehensive Plastics Manufacturing Technology program covers topics ranging from plastics variables, material composition and molding processes, to machine operation, quality standards and more. Hands-on training is provided in labs extensively equipped with compression molding and transfer systems, rotational molds, thermoformers, extrusion, blown film, compounding, sheet, tubing, and micro tubing as well as Toshiba electric and hydraulic injection molding machines. The school’s program is so highly regarded that HTC students receive five to seven job offers upon graduation.

“Our program’s success is a credit to the great relationship we have with Toshiba,” said Dan Ralph from HTC. “Too few companies support the future of manufacturing the way they do.”

Hennepin Technical College was founded in 1972 to help fill the employment gap in Minnesota’s workforce. Today, HTC is the largest standalone technical school in the state, offering diplomas, certificates and associates degrees in over 45 programs. It’s 9,500 students attend classes at HTC’s campuses in Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie, MN.