Uncategorized – Page 6 – Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center

University of Utah engineers kick off new center to help manufacturers prosper

Published in Utah Business on December 6, 2016

More than 125,000 Utahns work for manufacturers in the state, and their mission is to keep working even if the economy takes a hit. But they can only do so if manufacturing companies here stay productive and find efficient ways to operate.

That’s where the University of Utah’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center comes in.

Started by two mechanical engineering professors from the U’s College of Engineering, the new MEP Center is designed to deliver services to small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies by providing expertise in technology, worker education, and on how to make connections with investors. The Utah center is part of a national MEP network that assists America’s smaller manufacturers. Managed by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the network consists of MEP centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Carroll A. Thomas, director of NIST’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, helped kick off Utah’s center during an open house Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Rio Tinto Mechanical Engineering Building on the University of Utah campus.

“I am thrilled about our new partnership with the University of Utah. This new center will help Utah’s small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies compete on a global scale through services related to growth, operational excellence, or new technologies like digital, nano and additive manufacturing,” said Thomas. “A major challenge and opportunity ahead of manufacturers today is positioning for ‘Manufacturing 4.0’ where the pace of change and technology solutions moves with astounding speed. The Utah center is uniquely poised to guide manufacturers through this change and deliver results with economic impact.”

New partnership with U. aims to crank up Utah’s manufacturing sector

Published in The Salt Lake Tribune on December 6, 2016

No longer “dark, dirty and dangerous,” Utah manufacturing is a business increasingly driven by knowledge and technology, say those who want to help it grow.

After months of preparation, the University of Utah’s College of Engineering launched a new expertise-sharing center Tuesday to assist the state’s more than 3,000 manufacturing companies boost their productivity and expand jobs.

With 125,000-plus Utahns employed in the sector — 9.1 percent of the state’s workforce — the U.’s new Manufacturing Extension Partnership, or MEP, has dramatic potential for improving the state’s economy, officials said.

“I see a lot of promise in what is happening here,” said Carroll Thomas, director of a national network of state MEPs with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, an arm of the U.S. Commerce Department.

New manufacturing resource center launched in Utah

Published in the Deseret News on December 6, 2016

The University of Utah, in conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, announced Tuesday the establishment of the new Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center on campus.

Founded by two U. engineering professors, the center is designed to deliver services to small- and medium-size manufacturing companies by providing expertise in technology, worker education and how to develop relationships with potential investors.

The local center is part of a national network and collaborative effort to help smaller manufacturers grow their businesses.

“We will not only focus on operational excellence,” said Bart Raeymaekers, co-founder of the center and associate professor of engineering at the U. “For manufacturers to be successful, you really ought to be focusing on innovation and advanced manufacturing technologies.”

The center, in partnership with other entities across the state, helps local businesses use data to identify products and markets that are growing; implement advanced manufacturing equipment and technology; develop and educate a workforce to use new technologies; connect with investors and secure government grants to support growth; and learn how to make operations more efficient to maximize profits, Raeymaekers said.

Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) vendor fair in Provo, UT

The University of Utah MEP Center staff attended the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) vendor fair in Provo, UT on 10/22/2016, informing small- and medium-sized manufacturers about the the services we offer.

U of U MEP Center — Scott Marland and Theresa Drulard

KPCW (NPR) Park City – Mountain Money Podcast

KPCW’s Mountain Money covers the unique challenges of working in the mountains by providing small-business news, real estate, estate planning and personal finance information. In this podcast, Doug and Larry’s first guest, Bart Raeymaekers, PhD, Associate Professor University of Utah, Department of Mechanical Engineering talks about the University of Utah Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center to help local companies spur innovation and prevent Utah jobs from being moved off shore.

Mountain Money Podcast 09/26/2016

Company Week Column

The University of Utah competed to become Utah’s new Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center and in the end will replace Utah Valley University as the NIST partner. In Colorado, California, New Mexico and other centers throughout the West, MEP’s are hybrid organizations with university ties. Some operate for-profit businesses, many selling services to help manufacturers improve operational performance using concepts like Lean Six Sigma.

Yet Bart Raeymaekers and Bruce Gale, engineering faculty and authors of the grant proposal and recipients of the MEP charter, envisioned a different focus. I asked Raeymaekers what compelled the university to compete for the MEP opportunity.

“We noticed that the entire MEP system nationwide has been focused heavily on operational excellence, and realized that the future of manufacturing, and for small and medium sized businesses to compete in the global marketplace, that operational excellence can only bring you so far,” he explained. “You can only shave so much costs from your operation. Ultimately, we believe you have try to grow top line line revenue to compete.

Read the column

U of U Engineers Develop Center to Help Local Manufacturers Succeed

Salt Lake City—One of the hot-button issues this presidential election is about companies outsourcing work overseas and figuring out how to keep manufacturing jobs here in America. To help convince these businesses they can perform better in their own backyard, two University of Utah mechanical engineering professors are establishing a center to show local manufacturing companies how they can spur innovation and utilize the latest in technology.

The new University of Utah Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center will deliver services for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies by providing expertise in advanced manufacturing technology, innovation, worker education, operational excellence, and on how to connect companies with investor opportunities.

“The goal of the program is to provide these services so businesses can remain competitive against cheap overseas labor and to keep those manufacturing jobs here,” said University of Utah mechanical engineering associate professor Bart Raeymaekers, who along with mechanical engineering professor Bruce Gale are creators of the center and recipients of the grant.

Read Utah Business article

Engineers start new manufacturing partnership center

September 12, 2016

One of the hot-button issues this presidential election is about companies outsourcing work overseas and figuring out how to keep manufacturing jobs here in America. To help convince these businesses they can perform better in their own backyard, two University of Utah mechanical engineering professors are establishing a center to show local manufacturing companies how they can spur innovation and utilize the latest in technology.

Read article

Category: Uncategorized