January 2015 MEP Advisory Board Meeting
Last week, MEP held its January Advisory Board meeting at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, MD. The board was briefed on NIST MEP activities including the budget, panel reviews, the survey process and the state competition. In addition, the two board committees on Technology Acceleration and Board Governance shared with their committee charters, work plans and progress to date. The board then toured three facilities at NIST including: Robotics Systems for Smart Manufacturing, Center for Automotive Lightweighting and Additive Manufacturing.
A copy of the slides shared with the MEP Advisory Board are available on our website. Detailed minutes will be available in the coming weeks.
For additional information, please contact Kari Reidy at kari.reidy@nist.gov or 301-975-4919.
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Announcing a New Florida MEP Center
NIST MEP is excited to announce that the Manufacturers Association of Florida Center for Advanced Manufacturing Excellence (CAME) will operate as the new Florida MEP Center called FloridaMakes.
“We’re excited to have FloridaMakes join our efforts to help American manufacturers become more competitive and successful,” said Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Acting NIST Director Willie May. “Having these services available to Florida’s manufacturers will have a positive impact on job growth, and strengthen communities and the economy.” Read Press Release
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New Round of Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) Competition is Now Open.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced that the second round of competition for the ‘Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership’ (IMCP) is now open. IMCP, an Administration-wide initiative coordinated by the U.S. Commerce Department, is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide.
A notice has been posted to the Federal Register with information on how to apply. As with the first round of competition, in order to earn the designation, communities need to demonstrate the significance of a manufacturing presence in their region and develop strategies to make investments in six areas: 1) workforce and training, 2) advanced research, 3) infrastructure and site development, 4) supply chain support, 5) trade and international investment, 6) operational improvement and capital access.
MEP Centers are currently involved in round one of the 12 designated IMCP communities, helping to strengthen the manufacturing industries in their regions.
To view the Federal Register Notice, click here. For more information on IMCP, click here. For questions, contact Heidi Sheppard at heidi.sheppard@nist.gov.
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What NIST MEP is Reading
The Manufacturing Footprint and the Importance of U.S. Manufacturing Jobs
By Roy E. Scott, Economic Policy Institute
While U.S. manufacturing has been hit hard by nearly two decades of policy failures that have damaged its international competitiveness, it remains a vital part of the U.S. economy. The manufacturing sector employed 12 million workers in 2013, about 8.8 percent of total U.S. employment. Manufacturing employs a higher share of workers without a college degree than the economy overall. On average, non-college-educated workers in manufacturing made 10.9 percent more than similar workers in the rest of the economy in 2012–2013. This report examines the role manufacturing plays in employment at the national, state, and congressional district levels, including the number of jobs manufacturing supports, the wages those jobs pay, and manufacturing’s contribution to GDP. View Report
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MEP Manufacturing Newsletter 2nd edition
This morning, we sent out our second newsletter to the manufacturing community of over 3,300 subscribers interested in receiving MEP updates. Our goal with this newsletter to is to provide them with substantive news and information about manufacturing and the MEP program every quarter. This newsletter included information about:
MEP Impact and Survey Results
B2B Awards
Manufacturers Challenges
Latest MEP Video and Infographic
Client Success Story
Read all about it here. If you are interested in receiving our newsletters, click here, to subscribe.
The next newsletter is scheduled to go out in April. For questions or if you would like to offer general feedback, please contact Cindy Orellana at cindy.orellana@nist.gov or 301-975-4919.
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MEP in the News
- A surprise visit from the Administration to the New Product Development Lab at Boise State shined a light on how the TechHelp Team helps Idaho manufacturers, inventors and processors turn ideas into products, companies and jobs. Read More
- St. Joseph County Chamber article highlights Purdue Technical Assistance Program’s business solutions. Read More on Page 10
- Enterprise Minnesota celebrated the ISO 9001: 2008 Certification of Voyager Industries in Brandon, MN with federal legislative officials and state higher education officials. Read More
- On January 20th the Los Angeles Business Journal held its sixth annual Latino Business awards ceremony in downtown LA. Two CMTC clients were among the 45 finalists – Scale 1:1 and San Fernando Valley Pallet Company. Read More
- Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) and their ‘Skill Up’ grant initiative was highlighted in an article by manufacturing.net titled "Skills Gap Predictions For 2015: Rising Wages And More Training". Read More
- MASS MEP helps Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce outline ways to support local manufacturers. Read More
Send us your news, events and activities! Email us at mepeblast@nist.gov
February 6- April 10,2015 Gain More Traction for LEAN Initiatives with MMEC’s 10-week Lean Certification Course Bozeman, MT
The Montana Manufacturing Extension Center will help companies build internal LEAN capacity for more success while participants develop added career milestones with a LEAN Bronze Certificate. Course features select guest speakers, hands-on application at real manufacturing firms, and peer interaction. Includes a Day One overview and a proctored SME Exam. Participants will be given reading assignments, homework questions, and practice exams reviewed to help prepare for the SME final exam. The cost of the exam is covered in the tuition fee. Click here for more information.
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NEW!!! February 10,2015 CRM Working Group Virtual Meeting
Center Training for effective use of CRM systems – Bill Mullane, Idaho MEP and Tim Clark, Catalyst Connection
The focus of this meeting is to learn how to make a CRM system “stick” by providing effective training for the end-users such as Business Development personnel , MEP Staff and Field Service people within the MEP center.
Bill Mullane of TechHelp (Idaho MEP), and Tim Clark of Catalyst Connection (Southwest PA MEP), will lead the discussion by presenting how their centers are implementing the training aspects to their CRM systems.
Webinar Details: Link | Meeting Number: 1-866-2182764 | Conference Number: 801 896 4070 | Contact Phillip Wadsworth or Dileep Thatte for more information.
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February 18-19, 2015 2015 Toyota Kata Summit
Calling all Improvement Kata / Coaching Kata practitioners and those who would like to be to attend the first-ever Improvement Kata / Coaching Kata Summit. This event brings together the rapidly growing world of Improvement Kata / Coaching Kata users and emphasizes experiential learning so practitioners, trainers and consultants can integrate practice of the Improvement Kata / Coaching Kata routines into their teams and organizations.
Enter promo code "MEP" for a 10% discount. For more information and to register, please visit www.katasummit.com.
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February 24-25, 2015Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) 101 Training Session Hunt Valley, Maryland
This two day class will teach you the equipment related techniques for a successful & sustainable TPM program. For further details click here.
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NEW!!! February 25, 2015 Water Management - Removing Solids From Water
In support of the Food Processors Manufacturing Technology Acceleration Center (MTAC) Project, Oregon MEP is hosting a webinar to discuss the importance of water management and how emerging technologies can help industries safely remove solids from their operations' waste water. For further details click here. For questions contact Clara Asmail or Linda Wechsler.
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"Make it in America" Manufacturer of the Week!
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"As great as they were, I wonder what Tesla or Edison might have done with a resource like the TechHelp New Product Development Team at Boise State. The NPD Team has always been a great resource to me. Without them, the Melni Connector would still be just an idea in my head. They're knowledgeable and can provide a range of unique services at a decent price. It's been a pleasure working with them! Our product is disruptive and 'out-of-the-box' and we feel that the ONLY source for true innovation in bringing our idea (invention) to the market is TechHelp and the New Product Development Lab at Boise State.”
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Melni products are changing the standards in electrical connection technology. The company's patented devices are revolutionizing the electrical industry by offering a faster, safer, and cost-effective way to transfer power. These innovative alternatives were designed to allow for quick and reliable connectivity without the need for specialized tools or timely processes. At Melni Connectors it is their vision to be the global leaders in electrical device design and manufacturing.
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 Cindy Orellana (cindy.orellana@nist.gov | 301-975-4269).
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