NIST MEP E-Blast: Friday, December 21, 2012

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sent this bulletin at 12/21/2012 12:29 PM EST
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happy holidays

In this Issue

January 2013 Update Meeting

Edison Nation Live Product Search

What's Happening Around MEP

MEP in the NEWS

Upcoming Events of Interest

Make it in America Manufacturer of the Week!

View e-blast from December 14, 2012

MEP Update Meeting - Agenda Now Posted

The agenda for the January Update meeting is now posted. Highlights include:

  • MEP system year in review; preview of next 12 months
  • Lessons learned from high performing centers in CORE
  • Peer discussions about innovation practice success
  • (New!) Learning Lab: presentation and discussion of new system capacity building effort

Please visit the MEP Update Meeting website and click on the Agenda tab to view the schedule of events. For more information and to register for this upcoming meeting, please click on the "registration" button in the bottom right hand corner. Registration cost is $250 per person. Also, don't forget to book your hotel for this event as rooms are based on availability.

The January Update Meeting will be held in in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Union Station DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel starting at 1:00 pm on January 29 and ending by 2:30 on the 30th. Many centers have started registering and are sending multiple staff to the meeting. We look forward to good discussion and networking opportunities for center leadership and all levels of staff.

Room rate ends January 8th: $104/night
Click here to place reservations online. This link is already generated with the group discount code. Once on the website select your arrival and departure date and the Group/Convention Code will automatically populate to say “January Update Meeting.” To place reservations by phone please call 855-271-3620 and reference “January Update Meeting.” You must reference the room block in order to receive the discounted rate.

Any questions related to the January MEP Update Meeting, please contact Kari Reidy at kari.reidy@nist.gov or 301-975-4919.

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Edison Nation Live Product Search

Edison Nation®, an idea-to-shelf product developer and innovation platform has partnered once again with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to support and engage its Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), on their Made in America Program. This program gives U.S.-based manufacturers the first chance to bid on producing new products for large, established retailers. Read Announcement.

In the first step of this program Edison Nation gathers new and innovative product ideas from its inventor network through “Live Product Searches.” The first retailer to participate is Belk, the nation’s largest privately owned department store company. Belk has teamed up with Edison nation to find innovative ways to re-imagine men’s gift assortments. Belk’s Live Product Search went live on December18, 2012. To view the Belk Landing Page, please, click here. Please send this live search out to your company networks. With the reach of the MEP network we can help U.S. companies create new opportunities to manufacture products for large retailers.

In early 2013 Belk will select their favorite new product ideas. We will then be posting the requests for quotes to make these new products so that you can send them to your manufacturer networks.

For questions, please contact Dave Cranmer (David.Cranmer@nist.gov | 301-975-5753) or Caroline Ranghel Ashley (Ranghel@rti.org | 919- 541-6822)

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What's Happening Around MEP 


Department of Defense Program – Connecting American Manufacturing (CAM)

The DoD has launched the “Connecting American Manufacturing” initiative to allow the government to more easily and efficiently connect with both small and mid-size U.S. manufacturers that have the capabilities they need; and to make it easier for manufacturers to identify and secure government opportunities that match their capabilities.

As part of the initiative efforts, mfrsearch.com, an online communication portal and database for buyers and sellers of manufactured parts and machining services has been chosen as part of the Connecting American Manufacturing initiative. This secure interactive website connects manufacturing businesses to each other. The site specifically meets the needs of small-to-mid-sized manufacturers eager to take advantage of Department of Defense and other commercial RFQ postings. mfrsearch.com automatically matches RFQs that fit manufacturer’s profiles and e-mails opportunities directly to them. Suppliers can set RFQ filters and create company profiles that alert prospective buyers of the supplier’s expertise and capabilities.

Mfrsearch.com is powered by TechSolve, Southwest Ohio’s MEP. Contact Doreen Stanley at 513-948-2041 to discuss how mfrsearch.com could be utilized in MEP Centers. To learn more about the tool please visit the mfrsearch website or watch the introductory YouTube video. .

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MEP in the NEWS

NWMOC's tale about lean: Wisconsin: from milkers to makers When most people think of lean, companies like Toyota, Ford or Boeing spring to mind. And when they think of Wisconsin, they envisage cattle and cheese. However, manufacturing accounts for over 20% of the state GDP. Kelly Sullivan, a former Senior Project Engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, explains what lean has done for local manufacturing SMEs. Read Article

Executive Director and CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership highlights the importance of proccess improvement “What you’re talking about all the time is taking time and cost out of a process and putting quality in,” said Buckley Brinkman, executive director and CEO of the Madison-based Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership. “It’s also a way to get your workforce engaged. It’s critical the people on the line are engaged in helping you improve the process.”y... Read Article

Read the Latest from the blog

Ann’s House Goes Nuts for E3
In a nutshell, the story goes like this. A leading food processor is selected to receive guidance in sustainable practices through the E3: Economy, Energy and Environment initiative. For months, E3 experts assess where improvements can be made and the company began embarking on ambitious projects to streamline processes... Read Blog

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     email us  Send us your News Clips! Email us at mepeblast@nist.gov

Upcoming Events of Interest

Slides Now Available! Trends in Manufacturing and their Implications for Workforce Development

On Wednesday, December 19, 2012, NIST MEP hosted a webinar on trends in manufacturing and their implications for workforce development. This was the first webinar in a 4-part series on how the changes in manufacturing have shaped and continue to shape America’s manufacturing workforce, and how MEP centers can “get out in front” of talent management challenges. To download the webinar slides and distributed material, click here. Please note, you will need your MEIS user id and password for access the information.

For more information about the December webinar or the series, contact Stacey Wagner at Stacey.wagner@nist.gov.

NEW!! Lean Product Development Webinar – What Does Success Look Like?
January 14, 2013 from 2pm-3pm EST

Hear about the latest framework, tools, and methods of Lean Product Development and how MEP centers can sell, deliver, sustain, and succeed using this powerful improvement methodology. Understand what LPD materials and support are available through the National MEP system and how LPD synergizes with the current suite of consulting products available to MEP centers, including Innovation Engineering. NIST MEP will provide Lean Product Development master practitioners and fund them to kick start your LPD practice with visioning events to prospective clients, staff training and first client engagement facilitation. For more information, click here or contact Brian Lagas at brian.lagas@nist.gov , 301-975-5043.

Webinar Link
Password: mep
Call in Number: 1-866-469-3239
Meeting Number: 737 121 740

Toyota Kata Workshop and Summit hosted by Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions
January 16-17, 2013
Little Rock, Arkansas

Learn from Mike Rother, the author of "Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results"

  • Obtain a basic understanding of the Toyota Improvement Kata Trajectory (i.e. Vision/Challenge, Current Condition, Target Condition, Obstacles, PDCA)
  • Recognize the value of the Coaching Kata Methodology (i.e., how the Value Adders, Learner and 1st and 2nd Coaches interact via the 5 Questions)
  • Gain a practitioner’s view of how the Toyota Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata can be used in conjunction with the Lean 101 “Buzz Electronics” simulation to help enhance the learning of these methodologies

The Little Rock “DoubleTree Hotel” has limited number of rooms blocked for the event at a nightly rate of $114 for January 15 and 16, 2013. To get the blocked room rate, mention “Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions” when making reservation by calling the hotel directly at 501-372-4371 or the Central Reservations system at 800-222-8733. This event block rate ends on December 21, 2012. For more information, click here or contact Brian Lagas at brian.lagas@nist.gov , 301-975-5043.

Principles of Lean & Green Manufacturing Workshop hosted in Delaware
January 18, 2013

A revised version of the LE101 workshop Principles of Lean Manufacturing with the Buzz Electronics simulation will be delivered by the Delaware MEP on November 1, 2012. The 'classroom' materials now include "green" related concepts including green wastes, the interrelationship between "lean and green", and specific "green".

Event Details
Location: Delaware Technical & Community College (Stanton Campus)
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $395
To register, click here. For more information, contact Sara Collins sfcollin@demep.org

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MIIA

"Make it in America" Manufacturer of the Week!
      
       saint clair

Saint Clair Systems, a client of Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC), is located in Washington, MI and is dedicated to the science of temperature control, and is is the only company to successfully demonstrate the ability to both measure and control temperature at the point of dispense.

Visit the NIST MEP Visit the NIST MEP public site to learn more about this company and how the center is helping them grow.

For more information about NIST MEP's "Make it in America" Manufacturer of the Week, please contact Karen Lellock (karen.lellock@nist.gov | 301-975-4269).

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