The Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce is helping to identify and coordinate possible resources in our region from those businesses that may be able to assist with the effort. The specific needs are associated with the production of ventilators. If your business is capable of providing any of the following items, please email Jason Fink at jfink@williamsport.org or call 570-320-4213.

Should you know of a company in the region that may have any of the capabilities, please forward it along to them to review. The Chamber will be compiling a list to forward on in coordination of a regional network being developed to address this specific health device need.

• 3D printing capabilities you know of, including contact information
• Suppliers who could source materials for ventilators (specific items are still being determined as to what is required)
• Engineers who could consult on a project like this
• Businesses/owners who could be part of a distribution chain – packaging, shipping, etc.
• Anything else that could be helpful for production of ventilators

If you have been designated “non-essential” as a result of Governor Wolf’s announcement on March 19th, you can request a closure waiver at: RA-dcexemption@pa.gov.

You can also contact the Administration with questions about whether you need to close at: ra-dcedcs@pa.gov.

Click here for Governor Wolf’s Classification List of Life Sustaining Businesses PDF.

We received an urgent request from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) on behalf of the White House seeking manufacturers that can produce critically needed supplies for the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you strongly consider taking this survey or helping to contact your members and/or clients asking them to complete.

Critical supplies include:
· cotton swabs with long wooden sticks
· endotracheal tubes
· falcon tubes
· gloves
· lightweight protective suits
· N95 masks
· over-the-shoe booties
· PAPRs
· rapid PCR test kits
· ventilators
· vital sign monitors
· viral transport media

IMC has had several phone calls since yesterday from manufacturers asking if they were considered essential or nonessential. You ARE essential and we are here to serve you. Let us know how we can help!

“Essential services and sectors include but are not limited to food processing, agriculture, industrial manufacturing, feed mills, construction, trash collection, grocery and household goods (including convenience stores), home repair/hardware and auto repair, pharmacy and other medical facilities, biomedical and healthcare, post offices and shipping outlets, insurance, banks, gas stations, laundromats, veterinary clinics and pet stores, warehousing, storage, and distribution, public transportation, and hotel and commercial lodging.”

Learn more at https://www.health.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx

IMPORTANT BUSINESS SURVEY NEEDED ON THE EFFECT OF CORONAVIRUS ON PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESSES

In order for a Disaster Declaration for Pennsylvania to be declared, the Department of Community and Economic Development needs to understand the impact of businesses who are being affected by the Coronavirus to have access to U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

In order for the state to receive this designation we need to get surveys completed from businesses to demonstrate that businesses in PA have been impacted.

The survey is attached and businesses can use the best estimates to complete this form. This is not a loan application; no loan applications can be accepted until Pennsylvania is awarded this Disaster Declaration.

DOWNLOAD THE SURVEY HERE

If you are being impacted please complete the survey and return to business.dced@pa.gov.

This is urgent and your immediate attention would be appreciated. Once the Declaration has been issued, information will be provided regarding how businesses can apply for the loans.

Central Susquehanna Region Expands the Popular Contest in Five New PA Counties

Williamsport, PA – March 3, 2020 – The Innovative Manufacturers’ Center (IMC) is proud to announce sponsors for the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” (WSCM) Central Susquehanna student video contest for their inaugural year as one of 16 regional contests across Pennsylvania in the 2019-2020 school year.

The WSCM student video contest pairs student-teams in Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties with local manufacturers, providing a unique opportunity to learn what makes modern manufacturing cool while producing a video that documents their experience. The program was created to generate excitement that draws students to consider manufacturing career paths.

“Introducing this program to the students, the school districts and the manufacturers in our region is exciting” said Dan Manetta, Executive Director/CEO IMC. “We are grateful for the sponsorship that is helping us highlight the importance of STEM education and the employment opportunities that exist in manufacturing to our students and communities while also validating the hard work the students are putting into this program.”

The students’ videos will compete in the regional contest, culminating with public voting for Viewers Choice and an awards show April 2, 2020. WSCM Central Susquehanna will choose one video to represent the region in the 3^rd Annual “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” PA Statewide Awards on April 29, 2020 in Harrisburg.

Partnering with Innovative Manufacturers’ Center, Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit and The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce for the project are eMediaWorks, Sahl Communications, Inc. and EmpowerStar Marketing. Educational media resources, GoPro Camera kits, professional media training from eMediaWorks, materials, and project costs were funded and made possible by the following: Red Carpet Sponsors; eMediaWorks, EmpowerStar Marketing, Manufacturers Resource Center and Sahl Communications, Inc. Spotlight Sponsors; RETTEW, Commercial Stainless, Inc. and Overhead Door Corporation. Special Contribution; First Columbia Bank & Trust.

This program is funded, in part, by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Manufacturing to Training Career Grant program.

Voting for the inaugural “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Student Videos will be available March 23-25, on the What’s So Cool website, WhatsSoCool.org.

Visit WhatsSoCool.org for more information and resources and follow on Facebook.com/WSCMCenSusq.

About “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing”:

Developed by Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC), WSCM program is a video based educational tool that increases awareness of career paths in manufacturing. MRC developed this innovative career awareness program that at its core is “peer marketing” (kids telling kids what’s so cool about manufacturing jobs).  The contest is showcased on the What’s So Cool Website, and shared nationally through the Manufacturing Institute and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership platforms. The Lehigh Valley contest is expanding across the Commonwealth and the country. Inside Pennsylvania there will be 16 regions conducting contests this year.

This contest gives students the opportunity to connect with local manufacturers, document their experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students towards manufacturing career paths, and CTE and STEM education.

About Innovative Manufacturer’s Center

Founded in 1988, the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center assists in connecting manufacturers in 12 Pennsylvania counties with the most effective regional, state and national resources to help companies innovate, grow and prosper. An affiliate of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership and supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, IMC is one of seven industrial resource centers in Pennsylvania and serves manufacturers in Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Union, Snyder, Clinton, Centre, Mifflin, Juniata, Huntington, Blair and Bedford Counties.

About Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit

The Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU) is a regional education service agency that prides itself on serving the needs of schools, students, families and communities. CSIU’s many programs and services reflect our mission to provide quality education services that help students learn, support teachers in bringing best practices to the classroom, and offer valuable services to school districts.  The CSIU’s primary service area consists of Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties in central Pennsylvania which includes 17 school districts, 3 career and technical centers, and 69 nonpublic schools.

About The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce

Since its inception in 1996, The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce has evolved, remaining focused on goals which can be summed up in its mission statement: “Working together, the educators and employers of Columbia and Montour counties will ensure that lifelong learners obtain the academic, technical, and employability skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century workplace.” Through The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, educators and employers in Columbia and Montour counties work together to provide educational opportunities for the purpose of workforce development. Our educational programs focus on K-12 students as well as continuing education for adults.

With the global spread of COVID-19 (the coronavirus disease), IMC is providing educational guides and support for our manufacturing clients to help them plan, prepare and protect their operations.

Here are a few resources if you’re concerned about the impact of COVD-19:

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) COVID-19 Home Page
  • CDC What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Fact Sheet
• Pennsylvania Department of Health Updates
• TrendForce Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on High-Tech Industry
• FedEx International Trade Bulletins
• Supply Chain Disruption Planning Checklist

If your business is impacted, IMC can provide no-cost assistance to help you understand your next steps. Don’t delay, contact us today!

Current Updates (February 21, 2020)

• Freight forwarders are reporting significant increases in air freight charter rates to/from China, and are expecting short-term general air freight cargo rates rate spikes as production ramps back-up in China.
• Containerized refrigerated cargo to China is being diverted to alternative ports due to existing reefer plug-in outlets in the ports being fully used due to cargo not being able to move inland.
• Internal transport (rail, truck) within China is still severely impacted.  Export capacity from southern and eastern China are in a better position than the central and western parts of China but still well below normal levels.  Transport and port activities around Wuhan and Tianjin basically remain at a standstill.
• The rate of new Infections within China is starting to slow, however infections outside of China are increasing, especially in South Korea.
• Factories are slowing resuming production in areas outside of the quarantine zones (e.g. in the Shenzhen/Guangzhou area, Shanghai/east coast areas, etc.)
• There are some initial reports that the supply of available empty containers for loading in North America is getting tight.

Previous Updates (February 18, 2020)

• Ships entering ports in Australia, Singapore, the United States and others have various docking restrictions in place until 14 days after they left a Chinese port.
• Travel bans and limitations in China have slowed the movement of hard-copy shipping documents to ports – a step that is delaying the clearance of import and export shipments into and out of China.
• Metal industry is expecting a reduction in supply due to a significant part of China’s metal production being based in affected areas.
• General production in China is likely to be impacted by delays in their full workforce returning to work and a slow, general ramp-up of parts from suppliers to their assembly plants and factories.
• Ocean carriers have “blanked” or cancelled sailings into China to avoid having empty vessels returning to Europe and North America.
• Passenger airlines have reduced or eliminated flights to China, reducing belly cargo capacity and impacting total air freight capacity into and out of China.

Thanks to our sister center CIRAS for sharing some of these resources.

IMC’s Executive Director, Dan Manetta joined Fred Keller​ at long-time client Ralph S. Alberts Co., Inc.​ last week for a tour of their manufacturing facilities.

Click here for the Fox56 WOLF TV news story.

The Learning Factory at Penn State provides undergraduate engineering students the opportunity to tackle real-world design problems utilizing classroom engineering design knowledge and tools. PennTAP provides Learning Factory engagement opportunities with businesses and organizations across Pennsylvania. These projects, scoped and presented by sponsors, allow students to practically design or improve an idea that a business may not have the resources or manpower to tackle. Over the years, these engineering design capstone projects have provided proof-of-concept and prototype designs that have made a significant impact across the commonwealth.

Through collaboration with the Learning Factory program, PennTAP can provide needed technical assistance to help move company ideas forward through design, proof-of-concept and prototype assistance.  There is a $3500 donation needed to sponsor a team of 4-6 senior engineering students for a 15-week semester project (approximately 400-600 hours of student work.)  Additionally, intellectual property protection and non-disclosure agreements can be procured if requested by the sponsor.

Through Learning Factory’s support, PennTAP can provide clients an opportunity to engage with Penn State across most engineering disciplines including, but not limited to, computer science and engineering, biomedical, mechanical, electrical, material science, energy, chemical and industrial engineering.

Project submission deadline is December 13th! EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT of $250 if project is submitted by November 22nd.

Contact PennTAP at 814-865-0427 or penntap@psu.edu to learn how your business can collaborate with the Learning Factory by sponsoring a team project.

Directors of the Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Centers, including IMC’s Dan Manetta, recently convened in Harrisburg to attend a meeting of the House and Senate Manufacturing Caucuses. The purpose of the meeting was for House and Senate members to hear first-hand, from PA manufacturers, about their future challenges and requirements for growth, including workforce development and advanced manufacturing technology and processes.

PA State Representative, Donna Oberlander, posted on her Facebook page about the meeting, “As co-chairman of the House Manufacturing Caucus, I had the opportunity to meet with manufacturers, around the state along with our Industrial Resource Centers (IRCs), to learn more about how we as policymakers can better help them. Manufacturing is literally the backbone of local economies, and our caucus seeks to support research and policy developments, in addition to raising the profile of the industry throughout Pennsylvania. After our meeting, it was my pleasure to join several of our manufacturers for the presentation of House Resolution 474, which designated Oct. 4, 2019, as Manufacturing Day in Pennsylvania.”