The graduates at the end of the program.

Raymond dealership Associated Material Handling Industries Inc of Addison has partnered with a university program to increase student awareness about the materials handling industry including forklifts.

Over three weeks, 33 executive-graduate students in a real-world project consulting class studied the materials handling industry and worked with Associated's management to develop a business strategy for aspects of the company.

The students are enrolled in an executive master of business administration (EMBA) program in the College of Business at Northern Illinois University (NIU).

"In addition to the great ideas and valuable insight these students provided us with, NIU's project consulting class served as a platform to create awareness and appreciation of our industry," says Michael B Romano, president and chief executive officer of Associated Material Handling.

"Increasing exposure to the academic community will ultimately help ensure the availability of a continuing pool of people that will sustain the industry's growth and bring new, fresh ideas. The industry must also continue to focus on the academic community to educate future decision makers as to the value it brings to the buyers and users of our products and services."

Ann Carrel, director of NIU's executive and professional MBA program, expressed appreciation to the company "for allowing the students the opportunity to work with them".

Associated has committed its resources to the program.

"We spent approximately two hours individually with each of the six groups," said Shari Sellers, corporate marketing director for Associated.

"Most of their work was done at the Naperville (Illinois) campus with each group spending countless hours researching the industry and company to develop their corresponding strategies."

The project involved developing strategies for two of Associated's emerging but otherwise unidentified operating groups.

Each team of students was instructed to recommend strategies that would be beneficial to the company as a whole.

This project started on 3 April with a presentation about the company and project to the NIU students, and it concluded 24 April with a student presentation to fellow students, professors and a panel of Associated employees.

Romano and his management team in Addison are evaluating the students' recommendations.

"Overall, the students provided a unique perspective on the company and the industry," Sellers says.

For many years, Associated has partnered with educational institutions to further educate emerging decision makers and future talent about the materials handling industry.

Associated Material Handling was founded in 1960, employs more than 300 staff and operates through six locations covering six states in the upper mid-west, representing Raymond narrow-aisle forklifts and related materials handling storage and picking solutions.