Manufacturing Continues to Grow in Metro Richmond
Employers Count on ECPI University to Produce Qualified Applicants
Manufacturing jobs, which require electronics engineering technology skills in order to qualify for, are coming back in a big way and the Metro Richmond area is no exception, with two new announcements in August. First, Niagara Bottling LLC, is investing $95 million to establish a manufacturing and bottling operation at Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield County. The family-owned and -operated bottled beverage supplier says it will use state-of-the-art filtration to produce its Niagara brand and private-label bottled water, creating 76 new jobs.
The new facility will cover 62 acres and include a 600,000-square-foot warehouse with office space, parking spaces, a loading bay, drive aisles, utilities, and data infrastructure. Quoted in a report by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Chesterfield Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Elswick said, “Niagara falls within two of the county’s target clusters, food and beverage and advanced manufacturing. Niagara’s manufacturing and filling facility will be the most efficient and sustainable in the world. The 76 manufacturing jobs are just the type of employment opportunities we want for our Chesterfield residents.”
In a separate announcement, Orange County manufacturer Lohmann Corp. is beginning construction on a $6.7 million dollar expansion of its facilities, creating 56 additional jobs. A manufacturer of specialty adhesive tapes, the company is expanding to accommodate growing demand from automotive manufacturing suppliers. The 25,000-square-foot addition will be built at the company’s manufacturing facility in the Thomas E. Lee Industrial Park.
Both of these companies are located just a short distance from ECPI University and its Richmond Innsbrook and Richmond Moorefield campuses. As with most manufacturing operations, jobs at these companies involve a great deal of skill. Gone are the days of old-school manufacturing with repetitive, low-skilled jobs. These modern, advanced manufacturing workplace looks more like laboratories and requires people skilled in electronics, mechanical engineering technology, and computer and information science.
Both ECPI University locations in Richmond offer degrees that can prepare graduates to perform this type of work. The Mechatronics program incorporates all three of these skills sets. Curriculum covers such areas as:
- Programmable Controllers
- Testing and measuring instruments.
- Computer Hardware and Software
- Materials Science
- Applied Mechanics
- Analog/Digital Electronics and Communications
- Automation and Control Systems
- Computer Programming and Networks
- Microcontrollers
- Hydraulics and Pneumatics
While people with these broad skills are highly-desirable, there is also a great need for electronics specialists. ECPI University’s Electronics Engineering Technology program focuses on using testing and measuring instruments to acquire data, analyze problems, and designing a system or process.
If this sounds like a career you’d like to explore, contact admissions advisor at either the Richmond Innsbrook or Moorefield locations. It could be the first step toward a challenging and rewarding new career in Electronics Engineering Technology. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.
Gainful Employment Information – Electronics Engineering Technology - Bachelor’s
Gainful Employment Information – Mechatronics - Bachelor’s
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