RICHMOND, Ky. (LEX 18) — Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Kentucky and students at EKU gathered on Thursday in Richmond where they discussed a collaborative effort the two sides hope will result in better working conditions at Toyota. The joint project has already offered students an opportunity to help shape how plants and assembly lines might function.
“It’s a great chance to work with students, who haven’t had a chance to work in industry and plug them into our problems,” said Mark Klee, Toyota’s Powertrain Director. “In the case of the students, it’s a novel approach to trying to improve the work environment."
Klee and Toyota provided assembly line parts to EKU’s occupation therapy and manufacturing engineering departments.
Madeline Spears led the charge on the student effort on this capstone project.
“I look at it and analyzed it from an ergonomics and body mechanics perspective and worked with engineers to build and redesign a new workstation,” she said, before going onto explain that ergonomics studies the efficiency of workers in their workplace.
Spears was looking at all aspects of it, from wheelchair accessibility to safety.
“Working on reducing muscular and skeletal injuries. And making it more accessible no matter their skill level,” she said. “I think improving ergonomics and safety enhances the overall workplace,” she said.
Doing so, allows manufacturing companies to draw from a larger pool of applicants, and given the state’s stake in manufacturing, this comes at good time.
“About 250,000 jobs (in Kentucky) depend on manufacturing and in order to attract workers we need to make sure that workers are safe and healthy,” said Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky’s sixth district.
“Manufacturing is the single biggest contributor to our state’s domestic product,” he said.
Dr. Spears understood that, and the overall mission and recently completed her studies to earn the doctorate title.
“I’m really happy with how this came out,” she said.
“This is a golden opportunity to marry the curriculum at EKU with actual real-word issues to make it better for everybody,” Klee said.
EKU’s occupational therapy program was recently ranked as America’s 22nd best by U.S News and World Report.
