Welcome

Welcome to CAVS Extension, a unit of Mississippi State University focused on meeting the needs of Mississippi’s manufacturers by:

  • Providing technical expertise with advanced engineering tools
  • Providing professional development training geared for industry
  • Providing on-site project support in the areas of product and process improvement

Let us know how we can assist you.

"Our staff has industry experience – so we understand the problems industry faces – and we want to help solve these problems so that companies can grow and prosper in Mississippi."
- Tonya McCall
Director, CAVS Extension
Providing Advanced Technical Expertise in the Areas of Product and Process Improvement and Technology Transfer Improving Processes with Six Sigma Training and Support Helping Manufacturing, Service and Healthcare Industries through Lean Enhancing Industrial Systems Through Simulation and Decision Support
Economic Impact: $7,322,367,362
click here for details and success stories
Upcoming Training and Events

Lean Certificate
Jan 29, 2025

Course Objective:

Course objective is to develop participant skills in the recognition and elimination of Waste, and to improve Flow in their operations. Participants will apply these techniques on an approved project.

Who Should Attend? Manufacturing Engineers, Quality Engineers, Industrial Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Engineering Managers, Plant Managers

Participant Involvement: The training will consist of 4 two-day sessions (i.e., 64 hours of class time) scheduled during a four month period. Each participant is required to implement techniques and tools on an approved project that targets substantial benefits to their respective organizations. Each participant will receive consulting support both in and outside the classroom to assist with the successful completion of their project. It is anticipated that significant work outside the classroom will be expected in order to ensure maximum results from the student project.

Instructor(s): John Moore

Date(s): Spring 2025 (January 29-30 (Communiversity), February 26-27 (Canton), March 26-27 (Communiversity), April 23-24 (Canton))

Time: 8:00AM - 4:00PM

Location: Communiversity - 7003 South Frontage Road Columbus, MS 39701 & MSU CAVS Extension - 153 Mississippi Parkway Canton, MS 39046

Cost: $2900.00

Please contact Coretta Price at cprice@cavse.msstate.edu or 601-407-2770 if you have any questions.

Register

Lean Certificate - Healthcare
Feb 12, 2025

Program Description:

Our team of lean experts ensure that you gain the skills and training necessary to plan and launch a lean healthcare initiative in your organization. You will receive kaizen project experience and certification training in essential Toyota Production System (TPS) tools, which will benefit your hospital, physician practice, nursing home, clinic, laboratory, or health service.

Objective:

The "Healthcare Lean Certificate" course objective is to prepare participants for successful deployment of projects that improve the cost, quality, and speed of delivery of healthcare services. Each participant will develop skills in the recognition and elimination of "Wasteful practices", and the improvement of the "Flow" of service in hospital operations. Participants will also demonstrate the capability deploying systems improvement methodologies in the workplace on an approved project.

Synopsis:

The training will be delivered in 4 two-day sessions (i.e., 64 hours of class time) scheduled during a four month period. Training will cover a broad spectrum of lean topics. The four segments of Lean Certificate training are:

  • Session 1 - Customer Focus: Lean Concepts, Implementation Strategies, Kaizen, "A3" problem solving, Lean Leadership, Class project planning, and Clinic Kaizen Simulation
  • Session 2 - Eliminate Waste: "5S", Workplace Design, Visual Controls, Standard Work, Poka-Yoke (error proofing), Class project review, and Process Flow Simulation
  • Session 3 - Improve Flow: Pull Systems, "Supermarkets", Kanban, Takt Time (capacity planning), Paced Operations, Investment Efficiency, Heijunka (load leveling), Planned Maintenance, Class project review, and FMEA
  • Session 4 - Continuous Improvement: Value Stream Mapping, Class project review, Strategic Planning, CI Measurement Systems, and CI Project Management
Required Reading:

Lean Hospitals by Mark Graban, This books will be provided for each participant.

Certificate:

To earn a certificate of completion, participants will be required to complete all eight days of training. In addition, each participant is expected to implement techniques and tools provided in this training on an approved project that provides tangible benefits to their respective organizations. Each participant will receive consulting support both in and outside the classroom to assist with the successful completion of their project. "Healthcare Lean Certificates" of program completion will be awarded to each participant on the completion of the project implementation. CEU's are available if requested prior to the start of class. An additional fee may be required.

Attendees:

This training is designed for all healthcare professionals: doctors, clinicians, support staff, and administrators are encouraged to attend. Class size is currently limited to 18 participants.

Instructor(s): Susan Moore and John Moore

Date(s): Spring 2025 (February 12-13, March 12-13, April 9-10, May 7-8) (Canton, MS)

Time: 8:00AM - 5:00PM

Location: MSU CAVS Extension - 153 Mississippi Parkway Canton, MS 39046

Cost: $2900.00

Please contact Coretta Price at cprice@cavse.msstate.edu or 601-407-2770 if you have any questions.

Register

PFMEA in an Industry 4.0 Environment [Non-Nissan Suppliers]
Feb 25, 2025

Course Objective:

This one-day workshop will provide an introduction to Process Failure Mode Effects Analysis, Root Cause Analysis, Poka-yoke Principles, and Process Control Plans as tools to identify and manage risk in an Industry 4.0 environment. The methodology emphasizes implementing proactive countermeasures driven by data and cross-functional expertise to prevent mistakes from becoming defects that cause customer dissatisfaction and increase costs. The training is reinforced with team activities following the 10-step mistake proofing process on a simulated Industry 4.0 factory in our i4.0 Skills Accelerator Lab.

Course Content:
  • Process Mapping
  • Identifying Failure Modes
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • PFMEA Template
  • Evaluating Severity, Occurrence, and Detection
  • Process Controls
  • Prioritizing and Reducing Risks
  • Control Plans
  • Sampling
  • Inspection Reports
Who Should Attend?

Engineers, supervisors, and managers who want to take a more proactive, systematic approach to process risk management.

Instructor(s): Adam Collins, PE and Montrell Marshall

Date(s): February 25, 2025 (Canton, MS)

Time: 8:00AM - 5:00PM

Location: MSU CAVS Extension - 153 Mississippi Parkway Canton, MS 39046

Cost: $350.00

Please contact Coretta Price at cprice@cavse.msstate.edu or 601-407-2770 if you have any questions.

Register

8D Problem Solving in an Industry 4.0 Environment [Non-Nissan Suppliers]
Feb 26, 2025

Course Objective:

This two-day workshop will discuss the 8D problem solving process in an Industry 4.0 environment. 8D Problem Solving is a disciplined and effective approach to solve chronic and recurring problems. 8D provides excellent guidelines to identify the root cause of the problem, implement containment actions, develop and then implement corrective and preventive actions to eliminate the problem permanently. This is accomplished by utilizing a simulated Industry 4.0 Factory and completing a hands on walk through of the 8D disciplines. Attendees will also complete an 8D long form during the simulated activity.

Course Content:
  • Industry 4.0 Overview
  • Process Mapping
  • 8 Disciplines of Problem Solving
  • 8D Long Form
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Real-world Problem-Solving Simulation
Who Should Attend?

Engineers, supervisors, and managers who want to take a more proactive, systematic approach to problem solving.

Instructor(s): Jonathan Howell and Montrell Marshall

Date(s): February 26-27, 2025 (Canton, MS)

Time: 8:00AM - 5:00PM

Location: MSU CAVS Extension - 153 Mississippi Parkway Canton, MS 39046

Cost: $700.00

Please contact Coretta Price at cprice@cavse.msstate.edu or 601-407-2770 if you have any questions.

Register

Ergonomics Essentials
Mar 05, 2025

Course Objective:

This workshop will provide in-depth exposure to ergonomics definitions, goals and background along with discussions and examples of ergonomics tools for ergonomic evaluations and improve the ergonomics of a company.

Who Should Attend:

Professionals and managers with responsibility to improve employee health and safety through incorporating ergonomic principles and methods. These techniques are applicable in both the manufacturing and service industries.

Course Content:
  • Overview of Ergonomics: General principals, aims and benefits, measuring the impact of good ergonomics, and human characteristics and limitations.
  • Ergonomics Techniques and Methods: Work and task design and evaluation, control and display design, compatibility, and population stereotypes.
  • Physical Ergonomics: Musculoskeletal disorders, manual material handling, NIOSH lifting guideline, ergonomic risk assessment, and measurement and information gathering (ergonomics standards, observational skills, checklists).
  • Cognitive Ergonomics: Human information processing, mental workload, perceptions of risk and stress, warning design, signal detection theory, and memory.

Instructor(s): Adam Collins, PE

Date(s): March 5, 2025

Time: 8:00AM - 5:00PM

Location: MSU CAVS Extension - 153 Mississippi Parkway Canton, MS 39046

Cost: $350.00

Please contact Coretta Price at cprice@cavse.msstate.edu or 601-407-2770 if you have any questions.

Register

Visual Dashboard Development using Power BI
Mar 05, 2025

Course Objective:

With the increasing amount of data being generated from Industry 4.0 equipment, dashboards are a useful way to visualize and analyze this data. This workshop focuses on the visual exploration of this data and the development of digital dashboards to provide usable information and aid decision making for management, engineers and shop floor personnel. We will utilize Microsoft Power BI to extract data, transform data and generate visuals to help analyze industrial systems. The workshop will be highly interactive and include practical hands-on examples.

Course Content:
  • Overview of Microsoft Power BI
  • Data Sources
  • Data Transformations
  • Dashboard Development
  • Data Analysis
  • Power BI Service
  • Hands-on Examples
Who Should Attend?

Managers and technical professionals interested in analyzing and visualizing Industry 4.0 data.

Class Resources:

Instructor(s): Travis Hill and Martin Konrad

Date(s): March 5-6, 2025

Time: 8:00AM - 5:00PM

Location: MSU CAVS Extension - 153 Mississippi Parkway Canton, MS 39046

Cost: $700.00

Please contact Coretta Price at cprice@cavse.msstate.edu or 601-407-2770 if you have any questions.

Register

SPC 101 - Statistical Process Control
Mar 13, 2025

Course Objective:

This two day workshop is structured so that participants gain a solid understanding of the use of Statistical Process Control to drive process improvement. The class is taught through a balance lecture, class discussion, class exercises, and follow-on participant projects. Specific topics include both variables and attribute control charting. Specific variables control charting tools include X-BAR and R charts, as well as X and Moving R. Specific Attribute charting techniques are also presented including P, C, and U Charts. Also process capability indexes are presented and explained (i.e., Cp, Cpk, Pp, Ppk). Throughout the class a strong emphasis is placed on how to connect SPC with root causes oriented problem solving. Key concepts are reinforced through the use of catapults to simulate the real world linkage between SPC and process improvement.

Course Content:
  • Basics of Process Variation
  • Introduction to the Control Chart
  • Using Systematic Problem Solving to Drive Improvement
  • How a Control Chart Really Works
  • Basic Measures of Process Capability
  • SPC Class Exercise using Catapults

Who Should Attend? Manufacturing Engineers, Quality Engineers, Managers, Supervisors, and other professionals.

Instructor(s): Adam Collins, PE

Date(s): March 13-14, 2025 (Canton, MS)

Time: 8:00AM - 5:00PM

Location: MSU CAVS Extension - 153 Mississippi Parkway Canton, MS 39046

Cost: $700.00

Please contact Coretta Price at cprice@cavse.msstate.edu or 601-407-2770 if you have any questions.

Register

SolidWorks Basic Skills
Apr 09, 2025

Course Objective:

This class will cover basic design and modeling practices that can be used across all design platforms. The goal of this course is to teach the fundamental skills and concepts to build parametric models, parts, and assemblies and how to make simple drawings of those parts and assemblies. This will be accomplished by using SolidWorks to create 3D models of parts from drawings and within assemblies. These parts will then be assembled in SolidWorks to confirm fitment and create 2D drawings. This will be accomplished over 2 days of hands-on modeling exercises led by a certified SolidWorks professional with industry experience. No prerequisite skills are required, but familiarity with SolidWorks is recommended.

Major Topics Covered
  • Sketching
  • Part Modeling
  • Sub-Assemblies
  • Assemblies
  • 2D-Drawings

Instructor(s): Jonathan Howell and Jonathan Curtis, PE

Date(s): April 9-10, 2025

Time: 8:00AM - 5:00PM

Location: MSU CAVS Extension - 153 Mississippi Parkway Canton, MS 39046

Cost: $700.00

Please contact Coretta Price at cprice@cavse.msstate.edu or 601-407-2770 if you have any questions.

Register