The networks projects will help match buyers and sellers of technologies or products and services in support of small and midsize manufacturers.

Each awardee will receive a total of $250,000 for a two-year project. The pilots are designed to be scalable and interoperable to help determine if they might be expanded into a national network or a series of regional ones. The networks are expected to include technologies available at federal laboratories and universities and, therefore, enhance the framework for collaboration between the private and public sectors through the nationwide network of MEP centers. The 10 centers are:

• Oregon MEP
• Catalyst Connection (Pennsylvania)
• Manufacturer's Edge (Colorado)
• Massachusetts MEP
• NYS Department of Economic Development (New York)
• Georgia Tech Research Corporation
• Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence - Manex (Northern Ca)
• California Manufacturing Technology Consultants - CMTC (Southern Ca)
• North Carolina State University - NC Industrial Extension Service
• Boise State University - Idaho Tech Help

Click here to read the full press release.

These awards are a result of the Business to Business (B2B) federal funding opportunity.

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Thank you to those that attended the November system-wide meeting in Nashville, TN. We had over 175 center staff, partners and NIST MEP staff members in attendance and contact information for all can be found in the final attendee list. So far we have heard great feedback from this meeting.

If you attended the meeting, but did not have a chance to respond to the meeting survey, please take a moment to do so as it will help us to continue to improve on our feedback and communication with the system.

All of the presentations from the meeting have been uploaded to MEIS and are now available for download.

If you have any questions about the meeting or follow-up process, please feel free to contact Kari Reidy at kari.reidy@nist.gov or 301-975-4919.

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After over 40 years at NIST, including serving as the MEP Director from 2006 to 2013, Roger Kilmer is retiring from Federal service on December 31, 2014. Roger joined NIST in 1974 and held roles in the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, Manufacturing Extension Partnership and was most recently named the Chief Manufacturing Officer for NIST. Roger worked for 20 years in the MEP program, serving as the Deputy Director (1993 – 2006), responsible for internal operations, programmatic coordination and policy review of all activities and then as the MEP Director until 2013. He has been a key driver in the creation and continued success of the MEP program. Roger has surely made his mark on the MEP system and manufacturing at large!

We know that many of you have worked closely with Roger throughout the years and would be interested in sending him best wishes. If you would like to reach out to Roger directly, please contact him at roger.kilmer@nist.gov.

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MEP Is looking for an industrial Specialist to serve as a Federal Program Officer (FPO) in the Center Operations Office and is responsible for supporting MEP's business processes with respect to cooperative agreements. Learn More

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The course provides MEP representatives with the instruction and tools needed to perform Technology Scouting and TDMI services for MEP clients. Led by practitioners and mentors of Tech Scouting and TDMI services, participants will work in both large and small groups to learn the full process and methodology for both services. The training includes demonstrations and exercises based on real-world examples of MEP projects in Tech Scouting and TDMI.

For more information or for registration details, please contact Dave Cranmer (301-975-5753) or Caroline Ashley (919-541-6822)

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NEW!!! December 10, 2014
MEP Perspectives: Tech Scouting and TDMI Community of Practice

Don't miss the next Tech Scouting and TDMI web discussion on Wednesday, December 10 at 2:00 pm EST to hear Kathy Huber-Halbardier from Nevada Industry Excellence (NVIE) describe her experience providing technology acceleration services to clients. The web discussion will help MEP staff better understand how SME clients have engaged with and benefited from Tech Scouting and Technology-Driven Market Intelligence. Kathy will be talking about how NVIE used skills learned for TDMI to start building an unmanned air systems economic cluster in the state of Nevada. Please come with your own questions, experiences, and ideas to enhance the discussion.

The next MEP Perspectives: Tech Scouting and TDMI Community of Practice Web Discussions are scheduled for the following dates:

• Wednesday, January 7: 2 PM – 3 PM EST
• Wednesday, February 4: 2 PM – 3 PM EST  

Webinar Details: Webinar Link (please provide first and last name) | Audio: 1-866-244-8528 and Participant Code: 646772

For questions, please contact Dave Cranmer (301-975-5753) or Caroline Ashley (919-541-6822)

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NEW Training!!! December 17th from 1:00-2:00 P.M. EST
Free Safety and Health Consultation Services
A Department of Labor, OSHA Small Business Program, brought to you by the NIST MEP Partnership Team.

Presenters:
Patrick Showalter, Director, and Bruce Love, Program Analyst, Office of Small Business Assistance, OSHA
Anna Mangum, North Carolina MEP

This webinar will demonstrate the value of engaging OSHA as a strategic partner with your MEP Center. Through their complimentary Safety and Health Consultation Services, small and medium sized manufacturers can obtain confidential assessments of their facility and recommendations on possible solutions for any problems, ultimately saving the company money, time and headache. Safety and Health should be part of any manufacturing company’s sustainability strategy.

Since 2010, NC MEP has strategically partnered with NC OSH Bureau of Consultation to assist manufacturers. Anna Mangum has helped spearhead this relationship to bring value and positive change to NC MEP Clients. Anna’s partnership model with NC OSH could work well in your region too!

Webinar Details: Webinar Link | Meeting password: Welcome1234# | Call-in Number: 1-866-218-2764 | Conference Code: 965 512 7590.

Contact Heidi Sheppard for any questions.

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January 29-30, 2015
Toyota Kata Workshop
Southern Pines, NC

Join us for a "learn, share and do" opportunity as we explore how Ingersoll Rand Southern Pines has utilized MDI (Managing for Daily Improvement) as part of their Lean Journey and participate in our one day Toyota Kata workshop to gain an understanding of how the Improvement and Coaching Kata methodologies are being implemented. Click here to register or for more information.

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New Training!!!
Collaborative Robots Innovation Showcase - Online training opportunity for MEP Center Staff and SMEs

Today’s collaborative and mobile robots are being utilized in food manufacturing environment in almost unlimited ways. Affordable, amazingly flexible, and sensitive enough to use safely around human workers, many food manufacturers are incorporating collaborative or mobile robots to improve their automation and production capabilities. If you do custom packing, have multiple products that need to be run through the same process or simply have processes that could benefit from automation, this program will be of interest to you.

Range of Technologies - From new, emerging ideas to vetted and efficient existing systems:

• Upstream and downstream applications -  today’s mobile and self-adjusting technologies can adapt to variable conditions and changing materials
• Inside fast-paced production lines – new smaller, cheaper robots can be layered in multiple arrays in a single location in order to handle fast moving materials or packaging

Value Proposition of Innovation Showcase for MEP Centers

For SMEs:

• Focus On The Urgent -- event content offers solutions to each industry sector's top-priority problems and opportunities
• Something You Can Actually Use -- the presenters have new technologies that have just "emerged" but are now field-tested, supportable, and ready for deployment
• Conserve Time & Dollars -- no need to travel to a trade show or industry meeting.  Just tune in to a web TV event
• Team Consensus -- no admission fee.  Bring your team so all can see for themselves, and compare notes, all in one pass.

For the MEP Center:

Marketing -- A graceful reason to reach out and introduce your MEP
Messaging to potential clients: "We developed this event with just your company profile in mind"
A way to cycle through multiple manufacturing sectors on a high touch basis
Sales -- A Powerful and Structured Path for Follow Up

• The event content is designed to create a demand for consulting services
• The follow up approach could not be easier, "I was calling because I see you attended the Innovation Showcase.  What did you think?"
• The potential agenda for a consultant's first discussion and site visit is already on the table
• The consultant does not have to be subject matter expert on the Innovation Showcase topic. Because:
• a vetted pool of subject matter experts is available as resource, or for client engagement, and.....
• the consultant can prepare to be a step ahead of the client because a "Consultant's Reference Pack" is provided with each Innovation Showcase

The training is two hours total but divided into three (3) parts of panel discussions and in-depth reviews. Click here to view the training.

This program was developed as part of the Manufacturing Technology Acceleration Center, MTAC, project awarded to the Oregon MEP. For questions contact Clara Asmail or Linda Wechsler

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