Program trains students in automated machining technology
KOKOMO, Ind. – Since founding the company in Kokomo in 1949, the Lorentson family has owned and operated Lorentson Manufacturing Co. Inc., a tool and die manufacturing and plastic injection molding concern. It’s now led by the family’s third generation – President/Chief Executive Officer Christina Lorentson – who is looking forward to the continued success of her company, and many others, through her support of Ivy Tech Kokomo’s campus transformation.
Lorentson notes one key to their work is a technology known as CNC – or computer numerical control – machining, which uses the automated control of machining tools and 3D printers to process material to meet specifications by following a coded programmed instruction by means of a computer. Thanks to a donation from Lorentson Manufacturing approved by Lorentson and LMC Vice President/Chief Operating Officer John Routt, Ivy Tech Kokomo students are now training on that technology in the Lorentson Manufacturing CNC Laboratory in the campus’ new Industrial Technology Center.
“We are proud to support Ivy Tech because the College promotes and supports the trades on which our industry relies,” Lorentson said. “We believe that Ivy Tech is an integral part of creating and fostering the future of our industry.”
She said Ivy Tech Kokomo’s transformation is critical to the future of north central Indiana. “This project is vital in supporting Ivy Tech’s mission of giving our local youth exposure to, and training in many of the trades on which our community relies,” she added.
With Lorentson at the helm, Lorentson Manufacturing has been certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the State of Indiana and nationally by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). She has been with the company for more than 25 years, working in everything from production to human resources, accounting to, of course, management. She holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and organizational communication as well as an MBA, all from Purdue University.
“We are grateful for Lorentson Manufacturing’s support of the campus transformation,” said Ivy Tech Kokomo Chancellor Dean McCurdy, “and we’re proud of the leadership the company and Tina Lorentson have provided in encouraging women in the trades. That’s something that Ivy Tech is working on as we expand our training offerings in the skilled trades through our new facilities and labs.”
CNC training is part of Ivy Tech’s Machine Tool Technology program whose graduates leave school ready for good-paying, high-demand jobs in Indiana. State and federal data projects 8,766 job openings in the machine tool technology industry annually in Indiana, jobs with a median salary of $22.61 per hour. Machine Tool Technology provides manual and CNC training and is offered at Ivy Tech as part of the state’s Next Level Jobs eligible credit program, which covers full tuition for eligible Hoosiers. The next session of classes begins Oct. 26. For more information, go to ivytech.edu/nextleveljobs or contact Nate McClain, program chair of Machine Tool Technology for Ivy Tech Kokomo, at nmcclain@ivytech.edu or 765-252-5549.
The Lorentson gift is part of an effort to raise $3 million in community support to complete the $43 million campus transformation project. For more information on the campaign, contact Kelly Karickhoff, executive director of resource development for Ivy Tech Kokomo, at kkarickhoff@ivytech.edu or call 765-437-6917 or log in to ivytech.edu/kokomotransformation .
Lorentson Manufacturing
Tina Lorentson describes Lorentson Manufacturing, a full-service supplier of plastic injection tooling and plastic injection molded products, as “a small company with a big presence.”
LMC services include on-site product and tool design with state-of-the-art Unigraphics, prototyping, tool building, sampling, inspection in a dedicated metrology lab, production, assembly, shipping, and tool maintenance. Customers include manufacturers and businesses in the automotive, medical, appliance, aerospace, and consumer goods industries all over the globe.
Along with its facilities in Kokomo, another Lorentson Manufacturing Company with similar capabilities and services is located in the southernmost tip of Texas in San Benito, a small town near McAllen and Brownsville.
IVY TECH KOKOMO SERVICE AREA NEWS 