Indiana State University has partnered with France-based transportation and logistics provider GEODIS on a new space at the Made @ Plainfield higher education and workforce training center. On Friday, officials cut the ribbon on the Logistics 4.0 Innovation Hub, which is designed to train people in artificial intelligence, machine learning and logistics management.
ISU says the center’s purpose is to create opportunities for both postsecondary students and those currently working, providing enhanced skills and credentials.
GEODIS has more than 150 locations in the US, including several warehouses in the Plainfield area and one in Clayton. The company employs nearly 12,000 people across the country.
Senior Chief Operating Officer David Brooks said in written comments that the partnership “will link the skills and opportunities we have at GEODIS with the skill set and teaching they have at ISU.”
ISU’s Made @ Plainfield effort is led by Terry Daugherty, dean of the Scott College of Business, and associate professor Dr. Kuntal Bhattacharyya.
The partners hope to open a mini-prototype warehouse with robotics for research, teaching and student visits in early 2023.
The university says it also hopes to offer courses for certificate and degree programs in areas such as MBA, health, cybersecurity and information technology.
“The most important goal that holds us together in a common bond is the idea of creating the next generation of business leaders,” said Bhattacharyya.
Made @ Plainfield, which opened in July 2021, is a 100,000-square-foot facility that was created in partnership between the Plainfield Community School Corp., the city of Plainfield, Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University.
