Industries Team Up With Vance-Granville To Develop Bioprocess Training Equipment
Once again, Novozymes North America of Franklinton has helped Vance-Granville Community College make the training in the Biotechnology Lab at its Franklin County Campus the most realistic and comprehensive possible.
Vance-Granville conducts Bioprocess Technician classes in the lab to train people to work in the growing biotechnology, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Novozymes, one of those industries in need of qualified technicians, made monetary and equipment donations to the lab and helped develop its curriculum. The lab opened in April 2001.
Novozymes engineers built and delivered a biotech tanker to the VGCC lab in March. The tanker on four wheels is designed to help students in Bioprocess Technician classes become more familiar with some of the typical equipment and controls involved with biotech processing.The tanker has an agitator, flow meter, a heater and several different types of valves, including a control valve, that were put together in a manner to simulate some process variables such as heating water, changing the pH of water and others, according to Novozymes engineers.
A control workstation and controller will allow students to watch the variables on a workstation. The ABB Company, an electronics and automation company from Denmark, donated the software and SATT controller for the tanker.
The idea for the project began when a Novozymes engineer discovered a Seattle, Wash., company was closing down some of its facilities. He convinced that company to donate a tank and some related equipment to the VGCC biotechnology program. The Novozymes Engineering Department did the rest, and the tanker is in use in the Bioprocess Technician training.
Having the tanker in the classroom allows students to have some hands-on experience with process equipment and related computer workstations used to monitor and control processes. This helps reduce the intimidation factor when these students arrive for work and are faced with the task of operating similar equipment and using operator computer workstations, Novozymes officials said.
VGCC President Robert A. Miller praised Novozymes for its latest contribution to the college’s training program. “The college has a long and satisfying relationship with Novozymes, and the company’s people have gone out of their way to help us train workers for this growing, well-paying career field,” he said.
Officials of Vance-Granville Community College stand with representatives of two industries that developed a biotech tank to train Bioprocess Technician students at VGCC’s Franklin County Campus. From left are: Lorna Hall, Bioprocess program coordinator/instructor; VGCC President Robert A. Miller; Dan Newberry of Novozymes North America; Mogens Kaempegaard, sales manager, ABB Industrial Automation; Doug Acksel of Novozymes (back) and Garland Elliott, VGCC director of Economic Development Services.
