Manufacturers & Distributors ARTICLE -
MEP Centers Can Boost Your Competitive Position
Target Audience: Manufacturing and Distribution Companies, Global Manufacturing, M&D Industry, Green Manufacturing, Trade Organizations
Manufacturers of all sizes are thinking lean, training employees in needed skills and looking for new ways to compete in today’s global markets. But smaller manufacturers can be at a disadvantage.
They have the knowledge and the vision to succeed, but may lack the resources and capabilities to follow through as they would like. These manufacturers are the reason the National Institute of Standards and Technology established the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP).
National Network
The NIST MEP is a nationwide network of resources that smaller manufacturers can draw on for the tools and services they need to help level their playing fields. Extension centers and field offices in all 50 states and Puerto Rico work directly with manufacturers on training, technology and other needed resources.
Additionally, the centers connect manufacturers with government and trade organizations, universities and community colleges, and a host of other public and private resources to help them realize individual goals.
Companies that work with MEP centers report process improvements, management and employee skill improvements, and higher productivity growth, according to NIST. In some cases, state MEP centers have helped manufacturers strengthen in-house capabilities to reduce their reliance on external resources. In others, the more cost-effective approach has been to link manufacturers with appropriate third-party providers.
Either way, manufacturers benefit. In fact, the federal Government Accountability Office reported that MEP clients showed improvements in sales, product quality, worker productivity, customer satisfaction, workplace technology and, most important, profits after using MEP programs.
Creative Efforts
In the 17 years MEP has existed, its centers have developed creative approaches to manufacturing success. In the Dakotas, for example, the MEP launched a lean enterprise certification program. Training for employees from company presidents to floor supervisors is spread over three months to accommodate smaller manufacturers’ schedules, and results in continuous improvement efforts tailored to each company’s needs.
In Chicago, the Waste to Profit Network was organized to bring manufacturers together to reduce waste. Operating on the principle that one company’s waste could be another company’s treasure, the network links firms that create waste-reduction synergies. A glass fabricator’s annual 1,200 tons of glass waste, for example, now goes to a countertop manufacturer rather than a landfill. Metal oxides in the coatings the glass company used meant the waste couldn’t be recycled through conventional processes, but customers love the iridescent quality it adds to their countertops.
A Helping Hand
Manufacturers don’t have to be large to succeed, but it never hurts to get a little help from a friend. Thanks to the NIST MEP, smaller manufacturers are getting it.
Find out how our M&D accountants can add value to your business. Email us or call us at 1 (888) 875-9770.
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