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

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

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

Financial Fundamentals
Mar 26, 2025

Course Objective:

In this course, using interactive business simulation where you will be immersed in setting and running your own business, you will develop a new ability to visualize corporate financial information as a single landscape of interacting forces. You will experience how other departments affect how you do your job, and how you do your job affects other departments.

Instructor(s): Jonathan Howell

Date(s): March 26, 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

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

Maintenance and Reliability Best Practices Workshop
Apr 15, 2025

Description:

This three day course is taught by Ramesh Gulati, who is the world leader in this area and the author of 'Maintenance & Reliability Best Practices'.

The M&R fundamentals course will boost your technical workforce's understanding of reliability & maintenance principles and help create a sustainable reliability culture to maximize the benefits.

The asset/equipment management practices in any organization determine whether an operation is considered a financial drain or a well-run business unit, which operates utilizing best reliability & maintenance practices to ensure assets reliability, safety, improved productivity, and profits.

Seminar Topics:
  • Introduction to Asset Management and It's Business Impact
  • Reliability Culture Examples
  • Defining Best Practices and Asset performance
  • Understanding Maintenance Role - Capacity Assurance
  • Workflow and Roles
  • Planning & Scheduling
  • Materials Management
  • Operations Role - Operator Driven Reliability
  • Workplace Design - 5S Plus
  • Optimizing Maintenance - RCM/CBM
  • Designing for reliability and Maintenance
  • Improvement Tools (Including 6 Sigma)
  • Workforce/People Development Organization, Team Building and Communication
  • Current Trends - Lean, Energy & Safety
  • Sustaining Reliability and Safety Culture
Recommended Audience
  • Reliability Engineers
  • Manufacturing Managers
  • Process Engineering
  • Maintenance Engineers
  • Technicians
  • Maintenance and Reliability Managers

Date(s): April 15-17, 2025 (Canton)

Time: 8:00AM - 5:00PM

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

Cost: $1250.00

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

Register

Financial Fundamentals
May 01, 2025

Course Objective:

In this course, using interactive business simulation where you will be immersed in setting and running your own business, you will develop a new ability to visualize corporate financial information as a single landscape of interacting forces. You will experience how other departments affect how you do your job, and how you do your job affects other departments.

Instructor(s): Jonathan Howell

Date(s): May 1, 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