International Center for Research and Development

"Developing solutions to help companies reduce their costs"

Center Mission

Retain existing and create new jobs in Texas manufacturing
Forge strategic alliances with businesses and industry to identify and remove competitive obstacles
Commercialize pure research findings and work with industrial partners to create new products for manufacturing
Reduce the time and cost of taking a product from concept to market
Credential the workforce to create a competitive environment for the region

A core focus of the center will be directed to reducing the time necessary to take a product from concept to market

First to market of a product in demand = higher profit margins and higher pay to employees involved in the technology, e.g. early years of computers

Identify constraints on reducing manufacturing time and find alternatives to reduce or eliminate the constraints as they arise

Current project to reduce tooling build time from the current 9-18 weeks thru new applications of technology

Develop and apply new manufacturing technology to reduce the actual manufacturing cost and time to achieve the rapid response to market objective
Work with the UTPA school of Engineering to apply principles of mass customization in new product development
Work with the Rio Grande Valley Regional Community College Training Alliance (STC, TSC, TSTC) to develop curriculum that will respond quickly to the training needs of manufacturers serviced through the center

Develop new models of product distribution including a new Mexico Global Route designed to reduce time and cost