How do you view partnerships? At IMEC, we believe partnerships help shape the vibrant ecosystem of manufacturing in Illinois. In honor of IMEC’s 25th anniversary, we explored the concept of partnerships in this video, “Celebrating Manufacturing Partnership.”

This article first appeared on the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog and is written by Samm Webb, Project and Resource Coordinator with the NIST MEP Extension Services Division.  

The persisting crisis in the global supply chain has disrupted many small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) and put a premium on problem solving and short-term solutions for getting parts and supplies. While there are no easy answers to untangling these global supply chain challenges, the dynamic has created opportunity and momentum for supplier scouting. It is possible to see how the focus on supply chain management strategies and total cost of ownership will lead to more reshoring of manufacturing.

Written by Matthew Inniger of Manager of the  Advanced Technology Program of CIFT, part of  Ohio MEP. This article first appeared on the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog. 

This is an exciting time in the food manufacturing industry. The innovations and technology associated with Industry 4.0 are making it easier for small and medium-sized manufacturers to overcome obstacles in ways that at one point would not have been considered. While manufacturers have previously been slower to move toward incorporating advanced industry technologies due to the high level of regulation and biologically complex products with which they work, innovation is becoming more widely accepted as a key to industry sustainability. Two examples of such Industry 4.0 technologies are automation and augmented reality.

This article is written by Mark Allen Roberts, CEO and Founder of OTB Solutions.

To say 2021 has been a rollercoaster ride of incredible highs and scary lows is an understatement. We have experienced market disruptions, uncertainty, new pandemic variants, and constraints none of us could have forecasted. In response to these changes CEOs and business owners adapted. A recent McKinsey study indicates more than 60% of CEOs restructured their organization in response to the pandemic.

Top Leaders Explore the Intangibles of a Manufacturing Career

This is an original article written by Scott Schein, Director of National Network Programs at GENEDGE, part of the MEP National Network.

The pandemic revealed potential vendor-based weaknesses for many small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). Late deliveries have increased, materials have become scarce, quality is less reliable, and prices have ticked upward. These issues and general upheaval in global supply chains make supply chain management an urgent focus for many SMMs.

Part 1 to this blog discussed the importance of incorporating ESG into your business strategy for stakeholders including customers, employees, and investors. In this follow up, you will learn how and why ESG evolved from its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) origins, transcending the latter’s internal perspective with an outward-facing regimen of objective, measurable, stipulated standards to validate and verify reductions in impacts such as carbon footprint/output.

This article is written by Mark Allen Roberts, CEO and Founder of OTB Solutions.

I have been sharing how powerful capturing the voice of your customers (VoC) and voice of your market ( VoM) is in growing your business profitably. In this post I will share how to leverage customer voice into a “sales secret weapon“.

In a recent post I shared how critical it is to understand the criteria your buyers use today as well as how those criteria rank in order of importance. You may be providing services and

Many manufacturers continue to face challenges in their quest to recruit employees. If you are struggling with acquiring talent, consider doing more to attract mid-career workers – individuals in their thirties, forties and fifties who seek new employment opportunities. Armed with experience and skills acquired during years of working, they can be hired to fill critical roles and help propel your company forward.

Here are some helpful tips: