This is an original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.
The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) defines people-centric leadership (PCL) as a leadership approach that seeks to create a culture in which everyone is encouraged to improve and apply their talents and given the opportunity to pursue excellence at work every day.
This is an original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.
Many manufacturers have struggled for years to hire qualified workers. The outlook is for more of the same. With an aging workforce, emerging new technologies requiring more skilled talent, and the continuing decline of trades education in high schools and community colleges, an estimated 2.1 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled in the U.S. by 2030.
This is an original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.
Industrial control systems (ICS) help manufacturers boost productivity, optimize efficiency and advance production lines. Historically, ICS networks were isolated from the information technology (IT) networks and internet, or “air gapped.” Today, air gapping is no longer an effective security strategy, and for various business reasons, many ICS manufacturing networks are now integrated with IT networks and connected to the internet. This makes ICS more vulnerable to cyber threats such as malware, malicious insider activity and human error.
An original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.
As a proud son of the Midwest (yes, my family does exchange holiday cheese, and yes, it’s delicious, we have no regrets), I was particularly interested in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Partnership Extension (NIST MEP) virtual round table for Midwest manufacturers. All our nation’s manufacturers are important to me and, of course, we at NIST MEP love them all equally, but there’s always a certain extra curiosity about how the home team’s doing, isn’t there? On Aug. 26, 2020, we brought together manufacturers virtually as part of a series of conversations about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic impact. Our goal in hosting these listening sessions, which we call the “National Conversation with Manufacturers,” was to discern how best to support manufacturers through the current uncertainty and beyond.
A couple of weeks ago, over 500 MEP center staff, partners, stakeholders, industry thought leaders, and NIST MEP staff gathered in Atlanta for the 2019 MEP National Summit. With the theme The United State of Manufacturing, this year’s summit intended to “lay the foundation for service and solutions that will grow the Network, improve the ways we serve small and medium-sized manufacturers, and strengthen and empower U.S. Manufacturers as we advance U.S. Manufacturing.”
WASHINGTON D.C. –
A recent study by the W.E. Upjohn Institute found the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program generates a substantial economic and financial return of 14.4:1 for the $140 million annually invested by the federal government.
The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a federal public-private partnership that provides small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) technology-based services these firms need to grow and thrive in today’s economy and create well-paying manufacturing jobs. The MEP Program is managed by NIST and the U.S. Department of Commerce and is implemented through a network of 51 MEP Centers located in every state and Puerto Rico. These MEP Centers are not-for-profit organizations that employ a network of more than 1,300 industry experts who work directly with manufacturers to improve productivity and enhance U.S. competitiveness.
Using the national REMI® model, along with the results from the FY 2018 NIST MEP client impact survey conducted by Fors Marsh, the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research study finds that economic returns are substantially higher than previously reported by the MEP Program due largely to broader economic effects. Every quarter, an independent firm surveys manufacturers six months after they receive MEP assistance to measure the impact they have achieved from MEP Center services. In FY18, MEP clients reported $16.0 billion new and retained sales and the creation or retention of 121,042 jobs.
The Upjohn study reports that the $140 million invested in MEP during FY 2018 generated a 14.4 to 1 increase in federal personal income tax ($2.02B/$140M federal investment). The study looked solely at personal income tax and not business taxes and provided a conservative estimate of the return.
The Upjohn study finds more jobs were generated by the MEP Program than directly reported by its clients. In addition, the study notes that more than 238,000 additional jobs existed in the U.S because of MEP Center projects last year than would have without the Program. This estimate includes direct, indirect, and induced jobs generated by MEP projects. These jobs support additional manufacturing employment critical to U.S. supply chains and jobs outside of manufacturing. Lastly, the Upjohn study also examined additional areas of economic impact not previously reported by the MEP Program; personal income is $15 billion higher and GDP is $24.9 billion larger, translating to an increase of $2.02 billion in personal income tax revenue to the federal government than would be reported without the Program.
“Another year with extraordinary results! MEP centers across the country are undoubtedly fulfilling their duties in helping small and mid-sized manufacturers create competitive futures by empowering them to excel,” said Dave Boulay, PhD, President of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center and Chair of the American Small Manufacturers Coalition. “As highlighted on this report, the impacts these organizations are contributing and the benefits to our economy are not just impressive - they are imperative to the sustainability of manufacturing.”
To view the study in its entirety, please visit: https://research.upjohn.org/reports/239/
This is an original article by Elliot Forsyth, Vice President of Business Operations at the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, part of the MEP National NetworkTM.
Any business owner knows that information is a vital part of running a company. As manufacturing increasingly becomes more digitized, cybersecurity must become a standard component of doing business. If sensitive information—such as employee records, customer transactions or proprietary data—is comprised, it can have a devastating effect.
That’s why more and more manufacturers are taking steps to protect their information via good information security practices.
