When students step into the Systems Maintenance, Automation and Robotics (SMART) lab at Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC), they’re not just entering a classroom —they’re stepping onto a factory floor.
More than $1 million in new technology now powers the space, anchored by two advanced mechatronics training systems that simulate the complexity of modern manufacturing. Built with industry-standard components — programmable logic controllers (PLCs), sensors, actuators and robotics — the modular systems guide learners through real production processes including robotic assembly, quality inspection and automated sorting.
At first glance, the setup looks like a scaled-down manufacturing line. In practice, it functions like the real thing.
“This system includes everything you’ll see in an actual factory, only on a smaller scale,” said David Lucas, MAMC’s Training Unit Director.
The lab features two eight-station factory lines: one a traditional wired system, the other a fully connected smart factory environment equipped with wireless sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities and the potential for artificial intelligence integration. Each station can operate independently or as part of a larger system, giving students hands-on experience with automation sequencing, system operations and industrial maintenance — while reinforcing how mechanical, electrical and digital technologies converge on today’s factory floor.
But the real learning happens when something goes wrong.
Each station includes dozens of instructor-controlled faults, creating hundreds of potential failure scenarios. Students aren’t just learning how systems operate — they’re challenged to diagnose problems, think critically and restore production under pressure.
“Nothing says you’re good at industrial maintenance until you’re standing in front of a machine that needs repairing,” Lucas said. “We want to deliver the most realistic, real-world training that we can provide.”
The smart factory line pushes that realism even further. By connecting equipment through industrial networks and data-driven software, it creates a dynamic, responsive manufacturing environment. Students can monitor production in real time, analyze performance, manage workflow and explore maintenance strategies using live system data—building skills in predictive maintenance, machine communication and data-informed decision-making.
Lab upgrades also include five new electrial systems trainers manufacturered by Huntington-based State Electric Supply Company, a collaborative robot (co-bot) purchased through a grant from Toyota West Virginia and a conveyor system that Toyota donated to MAMC after it was decommisioned from the Buffalo plant’s transmission production line.
Major funding for the SMART lab upgrades was provided by the U.S. Department of Labor through Apprenticeship Works, MAMC’s National Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. The lab will serve as a national manufacturing hub for the partnership. Companies from across the country will send apprentices to MAMC for specialized training on the lab’s array of technology. The total cost of Apprenticeship Works is $7,103,847. The $7,103,847 (100 percent) is funded through a U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration grant.
Additional funding was provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
The lab also serves as the Huntington hands-on classroom for MAMC’s SMART career skills program, offered in partnership with Mountwest Community and Technical College. Launched in 2024 with input from more than two dozen regional employers, the program leads to industry certifications and associate degrees in high-demand fields.
That industry connection remains central to the program’s success.
“It’s important that we get regular feedback from companies,” Lucas said. “We can shape the training and education to meet their needs. If manufacturers tell us they need more of this, or more of that, we can adjust the training accordingly.”
March 26, 2026
