Aqua-Chem Inc. and the University of Tennessee’s Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering are teaming up to assist Aqua-Chem in continuous process improvements. The university will have a diverse group of twenty-eight students, representing six countries, descend on Aqua-Chem from July 2-26, 2013, to look at continuous improvement opportunities in the areas of: Warehouse, Materials, Engineering, and Manufacturing.

“The Lean Enterprise Summer Program allows students to benefit from real-world application of continuous improvement projects, while at the same time gaining valuable on-the-job experience,” said Derek Schroeder, Director of Supply Chain Management for Aqua-Chem.

“We are excited to play an active role in the learning and education of our future decision makers,” added David Gensterblum, President and CEO.

The lean enterprise summer program students, will spend half of the day in the classroom and the other half of the day on site at Aqua-Chem. At the conclusion of their month with Aqua-Chem the five teams consisting of five to six students each will present their findings and recommendations to the supply chain management team.

“It is our hope, the students’ findings and recommendations will be actionable and put into our continuous improvement practices to improve our processes and benefit Aqua-Chem,” stated Schroeder.

“The ability to work with world class organizations like Aqua-Chem, to apply classroom teachings and theory into real-world experiences enables our students to be better prepared and aware of what is available to them after graduating from the University of Tennessee,” said Enrique Macias De Anda, director of the Lean Enterprise Systems Summer Program.

Founded in 1940, Aqua-Chem is a leading solutions provider in evaporation and reverse osmosis technologies and water pretreatment equipment, with a full array of engineering, manufacturing, installation, training, part aftermarket and maintenance services. The company serves the needs of customers in the following major markets: offshore oil & gas, land forces and naval military branches, pharmaceutical/biotech, beverage, commercial marine, micro-utilities/land-based and Industrial Water Reuse. Based in Knoxville, TN, Aqua-Chem sells and services its products in more than 100 countries around the world. Aqua-Chem is a portfolio company of Altus Capital Partners, Inc., an investment firm specializing in middle market manufacturing companies based in the United States.