Can you help? We are interested in learning about your career path in manufacturing, and your thoughts on how to communicate opportunities in manufacturing to young people and prospective employees. Below is a link to a short survey. It will take just a few minutes and will help students in the region as they think about life after graduation.
Click here to complete the Bedford County PA Manufacturing Awareness Survey
IMC, in partnership with The Manufacturers’ Association, is bringing No-Cost Electrical Safety Training for General Industry to Central PA.
This opportunity is available through a grant provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Open enrollment classes will be offered, and companies are also able to host training sessions onsite with a minimum of 10 participants.
Training Topics Include:
This NO COST training is available to workers and employers covered under the OSH Act of 1970, SEC. 4, codified at 29 U.S.C. 653 (Appendix B). This also includes multiple small businesses and temporarily unemployed workers who are planning to reenter the workforce in a position covered by the OSHA Act within the next three months.
The trainer is a CHCM, DSM, CHST, OSHA Consultation Program Consultant. He has been the trainer for over 100 OSHA 10- & 30-Hour training programs.
To schedule Electrical Safety Training at YOUR location or to be added to the list to receive information on open enrollment classes, please contact Lauri Moon at (570) 329-3200×8085 or by email at laurim@imcpa.com. You can also visit IMC’s Events page for these and all our open enrollment classes.
This four-hour program honors the late Susan Harwood, former director of OSHA’s Office of Risk Assessment, who died in 1996. During her 17-year OSHA career, she helped develop federal standards to protect workers exposed to bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and lead in construction.
Check out the most recent release of open supplier scouting opportunities from United States manufacturers seeking domestic suppliers for various items and federal agencies seeking to maximize the purchase of goods, products, and materials produced and services offered in the United States, in accordance with Executive Order 14005.
If interested in learning more about any of these opportunities, contact IMC Business Advisor Dana Gordon at danag@imcpa.com or 814-808-6278.
Remmey – The Pallet Co.
Since 1988, the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center (IMC) has helped nearly 700 hundred Central Pennsylvania manufacturers become more profitable and competitive by tapping into valuable local, regional, and national resources.
As one of Pennsylvania’s seven Industrial Resource Centers and one of 51 national Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers, IMC also leverages private investment to drive manufacturing growth in Central Pennsylvania. As a result, in 2022, Central PA manufacturers realized the following economic impact:
IMC, the first and only economic development program dedicated solely to the manufacturing community, brings best practices in the areas of advanced manufacturing, continuous improvement, innovation, business growth, and safety to small and medium-sized manufacturers, enabling them to compete more effectively in the global economy. While IMC serves manufacturers in these various service areas, the most robust set of service offerings include Lean and Continuous Improvement as well as ISO 9001 with IMC offering both client-tailored onsite training and services and public training opportunities in these areas.
IMC Lean Manufacturing Level One Certification
Many manufacturers are experiencing workforce challenges including onboarding, using effective training systems, change implementation, and even retention strategies. The IMC team uses research-based methodologies that help manufacturers navigate many of these time-sensitive workforce challenges. Efficiency and productivity are not only metrics for production output, but also are critical for human capital requirements that the most successful organizations find necessary to survive during turbulent economic conditions.
Another navigational challenge within the manufacturing sector is Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance. As employers face record breaking employee turnover ratios, keeping employees safe must be a top priority. Often the manufacturing community lacks internal resources that know and understand compliance requirements, which makes them more vulnerable to meeting regulatory standards. The IMC can help.
IMC is dedicated to the manufacturers in Bedford, Blair, Centre, Clinton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties so let’s share some information about these manufacturers. According to December 2022 data provided by the PA Department of Labor & Industry, in these 12 counties there are nearly 990 manufacturers employing over 40,000 individuals making up 16.3% of the state’s total employment, with an annual average salary of $55,968.
Where does Clinton County fall in the 12-county average? Clinton County has 58 manufacturers employing 2,872 individuals with an average salary of $65,422. Manufacturing is the largest employment sector at 23.5% of the total employment in Clinton County.
IMC looks forward to working with the manufacturers in Clinton County. To discuss how IMC can serve your manufacturing company, contact Rick Terry, IMC’s Business Advisor dedicated to Clinton County, by emailing rickt@imcpa.com or calling 570-329-3200 x8083.
Lock Haven, PA – Published January 18, 2023
The National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing released by the White House in October 2022 presents a vision for U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing that will grow the economy, create jobs, enhance environmental sustainability, address climate change, strengthen supply chains, ensure national security and improve health care. Three interrelated goals are set to achieve the vision:
To achieve these goals, 11 strategic objectives and 37 technical and program recommendations are identified for the next four years. This Congressionally mandated strategy seeks to improve U.S. government coordination and provide long-term guidance for federal programs and activities in support of U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, including advanced manufacturing R&D.
Read the report [opens PDF]
Marcal Paper aka Nittany Paper Mills, LLC, is owned by Atlas Holdings, LLC. Atlas was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. Atlas and its affiliates own 16 companies employing nearly 20,000 associates. With more than 100 facilities across the globe, Atlas generates an estimated $4 billion in annual revenue. Nittany Paper Mills in Lewistown, PA manufactures and provides recycled tissue and towels for use in homes, schools, restaurants, hotels and hospitals.
Nittany Paper Mills is investing in new equipment and technologies to become even more competitive. These include new production lines, new packing lines, robotics and more. Such new technologies are disruptive as they change how work is done. In an effort to ensure the successful implementation of these investments, Marcal sought training for its managers to prepare them to manage change. Specifically, training to help managers understand the psychology of change and how to accelerate change. In other words, they wanted to help their managers to further develop their skills to be more effective at leading change. Without these skills, investments on this level may not have the desired impacts.
After the training, with these skills now developed in their managers, Nittany Paper Mills was confident that the implementation of the new equipment and technologies would be successful, driving confidence to make the investment of more than $500 million.
“We make investments where and when our workforce is skilled and ready. The training was a solid foundation for supervisor development”
Steve Prentiss, Vice President of Human Resources, Marcal Paper
Click here for the latest IMC e-News!
As of Nov. 10, these are the open supplier scouting opportunities from manufacturers across the United States seeking domestic suppliers for various items. Additional scouting opportunities are from federal agencies seeking to maximize the purchase and production of goods and services in accordance with Executive Order (EO) 14005. If you are interested in learning more about any of these opportunities, contact IMC Business Advisor, Dana Gordon at danag@imcpa.com or 570-329-3200×8084.
CHIPS Act Supplier Scouting Opportunities
MEP National Network and EO 14005 Supplier Scouting Opportunities
NIST is seeking public input on the development of up to three new Manufacturing USA institutes focused on semiconductor manufacturing. The institutes, authorized by the recently passed Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act, will enhance U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing through advanced research, education and workforce development.
NIST requests the public’s input into:
Responses are requested by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 28, 2022, and should be submitted online here. More information, including registration for public webinars, can be found here.
For questions about this request for information, visit the NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing FAQ page or send an email to MfgRFI@nist.gov (cite “Manufacturing USA Semiconductor Institutes — Questions” in all correspondence).
For media inquiries contact NIST’s Office of Public Affairs at 301-975-2762.
FROM THE DESK OF THE REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
CYBERATTACKS: A GROWING THREAT TO SMALL BUSINESS & U.S. ECONOMY
BY: Regional Administrator John Fleming – U.S. Small Business Administration
Last year, cybercrimes targeting small businesses reached a record high of $2.4 billion. With online sales expected to surpass $1 trillion, retailers must evaluate their vulnerabilities to cyberattack and protect their systems. Small businesses are especially attractive targets because they typically lack the security infrastructure of large corporations.
Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s 33 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, earlier this year announced millions in new funding for states to help small businesses develop cybersecurity infrastructure as part of the SBA’s Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program. I encourage you to check out our in-person and virtual events as well as the National Cybersecurity Alliance, a public-private partnership providing virtual and in-person cybersecurity events.
There are simple steps business owners can take to mitigate risk. Here are five easy actions business owners can take:
Small retailers owe it to themselves, their customers and their employees to ensure online systems are safe. To learn more about SBA’s programs and services related to cybersecurity, visit www.sba.gov/cybersecurity.