High-tech advanced manufacturing center partners with ACC to unveil Tesla program

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new high-tech manufacturing center completed construction in east Austin. The Hayes Innovation Center for Advanced Manufacturing (HICAM) is a 50,000-square-foot facility aimed at fostering modern innovation and increasing workforce development in manufacturing.

HICAM is the economic and workforce development nonprofit behind the project.

The facility will serve as a co-working space for startups, as well as a training space for an Austin Community College program.

“We really are trying to be focused on workforce development, economic development, advanced manufacturing and people that needed an industrial space.” - Marc Spier, HICAM Board Member

The facility has industrial space, machinery and dedicated areas for prototype development and testing.

HICAM Board Member Marc Spier said they welcome companies, startups, educational institutions and others who focus on advanced manufacturing.

“HICAM is a not for profit. We’re not here to make money,” Spier said. “We’re not here to extract value. We are here to be a facilitator.”

Spier said they provide people with the space, equipment and resources needed to train or develop their own technology.

“If you’ve got robotics, if you’ve got additive manufacturing, even subtractive manufacturing, drones, anything that is pushing the envelope of where technology is,” Spier said. “You need industrial space? You got to be dirty or loud or need a loading dock? We’re here for you.”

The hope is to create a hub for groundbreaking manufacturing.

“We can get like minded people into a common space to learn from each other, collaborate with each other in a way that creates something magnificent,” Spier said.

ACC partnership

The organization announced a partnership with Austin Community College (ACC) to expand the advanced manufacturing workforce training opportunities in the region.

The ACC program is led by Dr. Laura Marmolejo, Dean for Advanced Manufacturing.

“I hope that we could do a training for anyone who may be partnering with HICAM in other ways that we could help them develop whatever skills they need to develop their prototypes and whatever projects they’re working on,” Marmolejo said.

ACC’s Engineering Development Program (EDP) will train at the location. The program provides customized training for Tesla employees.

“I would love people to realize, this is a great industry to grow into, and there’s opportunities that didn’t exist in the past,” Marmolejo said.