Chippewa Valley Times

A team of automation leadership students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout has completed a capstone project aimed at supporting workforce training for Eaton, an electrical manufacturer based in Waukesha. The student group, which included father and son Jason and Tyler Solberg along with Wesley Lidwin, developed a specialized coil winding training station and accompanying materials to be used by Eaton employees.

Jason Solberg, who also serves as an automation systems instructor at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC), led the group. He explained the practical significance of the project: “Transformers step up or step down the voltage of different systems and provide power for facilities. This niche coil winding training with Eaton will help develop quality employees to keep jobs in Wisconsin.” According to Solberg, about 20 Eaton employees per year will use the new station as part of their on-site training at WCTC.

Eaton donated a coil winding machine from its plant to WCTC for this purpose. In addition to providing equipment, Eaton contributed approximately $350,000 in financial support for the project's completion. The students worked with Pieper Electric on upgrading the machine.

Guillaume Laur, senior vice president and general manager for Eaton, commented on the broader impact: “Coil winding requires expertise and knowledge within the transformer manufacturing process. The training station will also help WCTC students learn what Eaton does and what positions it can offer them, knowing that our business is growing.”

The capstone team not only upgraded hardware but also produced technical resources such as programmable logic control (PLC) programming and human-machine interface (HMI) development for easier operation. They incorporated safety documentation, applied Lean principles including 5S methodology to improve workplace organization, and created backups of machine parameters.

All three students transferred from WCTC to UW-Stout’s online automation leadership program after taking advantage of an articulation agreement between both institutions that allows transfer credits from technical colleges nationwide—up to 88 credits. Students can earn professional certificates such as SAP ERP & Business Analytics Certificate, Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate, or Workforce Development Specialist Certificate through related coursework.

The automation leadership degree is offered fully online but includes options for hands-on experience through partner technical colleges.

“We chose Stout's automation leadership program since WCTC and Stout created an articulation agreement for this program that closely aligns with WCTC’s automation systems technology,” said Jason Solberg. The three seniors are expected to graduate in spring 2026.