Thanks to Rob Bargo and Videon Central for hosting IMC and Congressman Tom Marino for Manufacturing Day 2018. Videon, located in State College, PA, develops software and designs hardware for AV products worldwide. Through relationships with companies like Intel, Sony, Samsung and Lufthansa Technik, Videon works with a broad range of industries, from aviation and broadcast to sports and consumer electronics. MFGDay18
The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation and Workplace Safety 2017 Annual Report is available now at the link below. “The report demonstrates our program’s commitment to workplace safety, superior customer service, innovation, and excellence in carrying out the provisions of the Workers’ Compensation Act.” PA Department of Labor & Industry
I recently met with Sam Sawyer, Employer Relations Specialist at UPMC Susquehanna to learn more about their Healthy Partners Program.
UPMC Susquehanna is the primary healthcare provider in the communities they serve. So they know it is in their best interest to provide wellness programs to raise awareness of the services they provide to improve the overall health of the community’s population by maximizing healthcare utilization.
As we all know, healthcare costs continue to rise and are a burden on many employers and employees. Wellness programs reduce these costs and present a unique opportunity for UPMC and local employers to work together to improve health and save money. The goal of Healthy Partners by UPMC Susquehanna is to be an extension of your company, to give you everything you need in implementing a wellness program, and to assist in improving your company’s employee and fiscal health.
The program takes an objective approach to helping your employees manage their health. Employees receive onsite screenings, personalized health reports and follow up educational opportunities. As an employer, you’ll receive a de-identified aggregate group health report and potential solutions to help manage the top health risks of your workforce. Together with UPMC, you’ll implement education and additional screenings to tackle those top needs that are relevant to your employees. For most employers, the entire program is performed at no charge!
To learn more about Healthy Partners by UPMC Susquehanna or to signup for our free monthly newsletter, contact Sam Sawyer at sawyersl@upmc.edu or 570-321-2289.
The Innovative Manufacturers Center (IMC), which is part of a public-private partnership that provides U.S. manufacturers with access to resources they need to succeed, today announced findings from its 2017 program impact survey. Each year, clients are surveyed using an independent third-party to document the economic impact of the services provided by Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers across the country and the partnership’s return on investment for U.S. manufacturers.
During one-on-one projects and/or training in 2017, IMC interacted with more than 120 small and medium-size manufacturing clients. Of those manufacturers conducting one-on-one projects and reporting impact, IMC:
IMC works directly with Central PA manufacturers to provide expertise and services tailored to meet critical needs ranging from process improvements, workforce training, innovation strategies, and new product development. These services help small and medium-size manufacturers accelerate and strengthen growth and competitiveness in the global marketplace.
“It’s essential for manufacturers to be equipped with the tools and training necessary to be competitive in today’s rapidly changing marketplace,” said Daniel T. Manetta, IMC Executive Director/CEO. “Manufacturing accounts for nearly 12 percent of the total U.S. gross domestic product, it’s the 6th largest employer, and it accounts for almost 60 percent of all U.S. exports.”
Collectively in 2017, the MEP National Network interacted with more than 26,000 small and medium-size U.S. manufacturing clients and:
About Innovative Manufacturers Center (IMC)
Founded in 1988, the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center has worked with over 600 Central PA manufacturers to help them innovate, grow and prosper. Supported through the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Manufacturing PA program, IMC serves manufacturers in Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Union, Snyder, Clinton, Centre, Mifflin, Juniata, Huntington, Blair, and Bedford Counties. Visit IMC at www.IMCpa.com for more information.
About the MEP National Network
The MEP National Network™ is a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth and advancing U.S. manufacturing.
Focused on helping small and medium-sized manufacturers generate business results and thrive in today’s technology-driven economy, the MEP National Network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), the 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, and over 1,300 trusted advisors and experts at more than 400 MEP service locations, providing any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources they need to succeed. Each MEP Center is a partnership between the federal government and a variety of public or private entities, including state, university, and nonprofit organizations.
About the Survey
Fors Marsh Group, LLC conducts the NIST MEP client survey. Fors Marsh Group, LLC is an Arlington, VA-based applied research firm. The company has experience both in market research and surveying with a specialization in working with small manufacturers. Fors Marsh Group, LLC conducts the survey quarterly and MEP Center clients are interviewed annually. The survey asks clients to consider the entire set of projects or services provided by a center and to report on how their company’s performance and processes have been affected in the last 12 months. The survey asks clients to report on the impact of MEP Center services on bottom-line client outcomes and bottom-line impacts such as sales, jobs created/retained, capital investment and cost savings. The survey has 16 questions and takes an average of 10 minutes to complete.
Voting is underway for the What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? project.
Check out the videos by clicking here and cast your vote today!
For almost 30 years, IMC has been helping Central Pennsylvania manufacturers become more innovative, productive and profitable. We have been able to do this, in part, due to support from the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership program.
A recent study by the W.E. Upjohn Institute found that the MEP Program generates a substantial economic and financial return of nearly 9:1. Yes, a federal investment that works!
Please take 5 minutes to e-mail your federal elected officials asking them to support a $142.4 million appropriation for MEP, which helps support IMC’s operations.
To e-mail your federal elected officials
Thank you for your support of IMC and Central PA Manufacturers!
IMC’s federal sponsor, NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership, releases national network impact results for 2017.
By Carroll Thomas 2/05/18
I am proud to announce the MEP National Network impact results for 2017. These results are truly impressive. Last year, this streamlined program with 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, interacted directly or through their partners with over 26,000 manufacturers. Based on results from a third-party survey, clients from across the country reported that the assistance they received helped to create and retain more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs in 2017 alone. Read on…
Are you a Department of Defense contractor? This video, created by our sister center in Georgia, provides a step-by-step guide on how government contractors can achieve compliance with the new cybersecurity requirements established by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Not sure if you’re in compliance? Contact IMC, we can help.
A very good (and short – 3 pages big print) research-based article on innovation as a system. Very much supports the whole concept that is Innovation Engineering – that innovation is a systemizable business practice that any organization can on-board and benefit from. And consistent with IE concepts and ideas.
Whether CI or Innovation, it’s all about the system or lack of it. The realization is that these management systems drive success because they activate and foster the “raw material” that’s already there. People’s creative horsepower.
Click here to check it out.
A rapidly evolving part of advancing your Continuous Improvement (CI) system, specific practices and initiatives is understanding the various technologies that can be applied to support solutions. This technology advancement is a big deal but can get messed up (lose money) or be very beneficial (make money). And your role can have much to do with it going well. That starts with emphasizing that without good “CI systems thinking and A-3 / PDCA type methodology”, the selection and application of process improvement technologies is likely to be messy or even misguided and costly.
Click here for a one page illustration that I got from a McKinsey article. I like the concept, the way it’s organized. You’ll see that the “wheel” advises about what types of technologies (hard and soft technologies and practices) align with what type of applications starting with most general at the hub and then working out to more specifics. I’m finding it a nice resource for thinking about what applications might fit for what needs and opportunities. It could also be used to help identify what technologies and associated practices you and your organization might want to learn more about or not (people / skill development).
Keep in mind that being a “CI Manager” has much to do with getting your company to become more of a learning organization. And you have to be selective about that – as in advancing your knowledge primarily on things that will improve efficiency and effectiveness – i.e., business results.