New manufacturing school at ASU aims to revolutionize industry training with ISTB12 building

Binil Starly had been a North Carolina State faculty member for nine years when he heard about an opportunity at Arizona State University.

ASU was creating a manufacturing school and as part of the formation was constructing a new building — ISTB12 — that would make the university a leader in training students for the industries of tomorrow.

“That excited me,” Starly said. “How many universities even think about bringing manufacturing front and center as a school, and then investing in faculty and physical infrastructure to back that up? Usually, at other universities, manufacturing is always part of either mechanical engineering or industrial engineering.

“But ASU decided to give it prominence.”

That decision convinced Starly to become the director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks in July 2022, and on Friday, the grand opening of ISTB12 was celebrated with an event on the ASU Polytechnic campus, where the building is located.

ASU President Michael Crow said ITSB 12 reflects the university’s commitment to innovation and competition.

“Here in Arizona, we have ways in which we have constructed whole new types of institutions, like this university, whole new ways of working, new ways to partner, new ways to come together, new ways to say, ‘Hey, I think that the United States needs the most advanced manufacturing school ever made.’

“Well, OK, why don’t we figure out how to do that? We’re going to work with the city of Mesa. We’re going to work with the leadership of the state of Arizona. We’re going to work with Honeywell and other companies. We’re going to build this thing. We’re going to attract talent from all over the world, and we’re going to bring it together.”

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs credited ASU for the state’s success in leveraging the emerging advanced manufacturing industry.

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