K-State, partners breaking ground for Bulk Solids Innovation Center

July 9, 2014

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center is set for 9:30 am July 10, in the 600 block of North Front Street in Salina KS. The facility is to be completed in 2015.

The center is the project of Kansas State University with partners the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, Salina Economic Development Corporation, US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the State of Kansas, and the city of Salina.

The research facility will be the only one of its kind in North America. The nearly 13,000-square-foot center will be used to study and develop the understanding of bulk solids materials handling. Bulk solids are loose, dry commodities like sugar, minerals, pigments, and recycled plastics that account for more than 80% of items transported around the world.

Kansas State University will be the key tenant in the center, which will be used by technology, engineering, and agriculture faculty members to conduct research that will complement university programs in both Manhattan and Salina. The center also will let the university's students immerse themselves in an industry setting. Two local companies, Coperion K-Tron Salina Inc and Vortex Valves, will supplement the facility by serving as anchor occupants.

"The Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center is another example of not only the inspiring quality Salina has to continue to grow and develop and attract impressive industries to our area, but also how the community's entities can work together for a common goal," says Dennis Lauver, president and chief executive officer of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. "The groundbreaking ceremony will be an opportunity to hear from all of people who have remained committed to making this idea a reality."

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