By Darcel Choy Thursday, February 3 2011
University of the West Indies (UWI) professor Winston Lewis has a vision — steelpan would be available to everyone locally, regionally and internationally.
His vision also includes manufacturing the steelpan at a cheaper cost to become more competitive in the global arena.
During a lecture at the Faculty of Engineering at UWI, St Augustine last Thursday, Lewis explained the use of Integrated Management Systems (IMS) to improve manufacturing capabilities in the Caribbean region can create efficiencies allowing for greater competitiveness for our national instrument.
Lewis, a professor of Industrial Systems Engineering at the university addressed the effectiveness of IMS in the manufacturing of the steelpan.
He focused on the use of management systems and standards in the production of large quantities of the steelpan to make them more accessible in the Caribbean region and the world.
In his vision the manufacturing processes that would be used in the production of the steelpan include handforming, marforming, hydroforming and spinforming.
He said he became interested in the steelpan because it was the country’s instrument and he felt it was important to give back to his country.
“Looking at my areas of specialising and applying to steelpan I thought it was an ideal blend my background with what was required in the steelpan,” he said.
He said when this becomes a reality, it would be quantum leap in terms of the country’s development.
“Persons all over the world would understand that we not only provided the concept and the initial design but we are now providing it to the world,” he said.
Lewis emphasised that the work has to start now and they have to start putting things in place for it to become a reality.
“We have to write the standards, we have to do the research on the metallurgy, we have to get the pan fraternity involved, document, record their knowledge, they will share their secrets that we would hold on dearly but we would incorporate it in the final plan,” he said.
Lewis said he plans to take his vision to Government and the pan fraternity to see if it can become a reality.
“We want to produce consistently and produce the numbers that are required for the country, put steelpan in every school and every home and we want to provide for the region and the world at a very low cost,” he said.
He added that it would ensure the world understands that the country gave “pan to the world.”
Professor Brian Copeland, the inventor of the G-Pan, said he knew involving industrial processes in the manufacturing of pan was something that needed to be done in the industry.
“It is something we have been looking at, and we have already started with our project in manufacturing the drums for the steelpan which is part of the Steelpan Initiatives Project,” he said.
He said they have developed a process that is 90 percent mechanised to manufacture quality drums that were consistent with producing top quality instruments. “Trinidad and Tobago needs to remain at the centre of the steelpan industry, there is a lot of top class research to be done, and a lot of things we do not do now, we have to produce instruments that the world wants.
“We now have to become the centre of steelpan and the epicentre of world class steelpan performances,” he said.
Lewis has been promoting research and development work in the undergraduate and graduate levels in the area of Metallurgical and Industrial Engineering, Sheet Metal Forming, Manufacturing of the Steelpan Musical Instrument, Applied Ergonomics and Workplace Design Engineering Quality Management and Nano-technology.
This work has been published in several lending international and regional journals.
Professor Lewis was honoured by the World Congress of Arts, Sciences and Communications in 2007 with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Leadership, Service to the Engineering Profession and Country and Outstanding Academic Achievements in Teaching and Research.
He was also presented with an international award for extraordinary distinction of meritorious achievement in innovative leadership and service to the Caribbean people at the World Forum of Arts, Sciences and Communications in St Catherine’s College, Oxford University, England in August 2008.
Professor Lewis was also invited by the United Nations to be a Policy Adviser on the UN Millennium Project in the areas of engineering and innovation. www.panapparels.com
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