IMC’s federal sponsor is inviting small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) to a special webinar for SMMs to help shape the future of U.S. advanced manufacturing strategy on Jan. 12, 2022 from 3-5 p.m. EST. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing is in the process of updating the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing. The plan will improve government coordination and provide long-term guidance for federal programs and activities in support of U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, including advanced manufacturing research and development over the next five to ten years.

NIST, as the co-chair of the NSTC subcommittee, is facilitating a series of roundtables, concurrent with an RFI. The intent of the Jan. 12 webinar is to gather public input from SMMs that may be used in developing the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing.

Participate on January 12th using this link. BlueJeans meeting information: https://bluejeans.com/911195551/3791

Photo Credit: Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Shop-Vac is the brand leader in wet / dry vacuum systems for consumer and commercial use.  In 2020, the company abruptly shut down, but was recently purchased by Great Star Industrial, Inc.  Shop-Vac rehired many previous employees and is currently operating with about 150 people.  Given the shutdown, the company’s emphasis at this time is to increase sales quickly by re-establishing relationships with customers that range from big box retailers such as Lowe’s and Home Depot to smaller sellers and industrial purchasers.  Additionally, Great Star acquired the well-established SK Hand Tools.  As part of the SK acquisition strategy, SK tool-making equipment has been relocated from Chicago to the Shop-Vac facility on Reach Road in Williamsport.  With the equipment onsite and ready to start production, Shop Vac is hiring and training about 15 additional people to produce SK Tools.

To support the re-establishment of customer relationships for Shop-Vac products and to begin selling and supporting the SK brand locally, Shop-Vac is working with IMC to make improvements in their Customer Service operations.  IMC will be working with the Customer Service team to perform a three-day value stream mapping (VSM) initiative that will include training in continuous improvement principles and practices to enable the group to work on improvement opportunities, defining the current state of operations, identifying opportunities for improvement, creating a future / desired state, and then continuous work towards the future state.

To support the implementation of the value stream initiative, IMC and PennTAP are also working together to implement an E3 (energy, environmental, efficiency) initiative that will both support the of the VSM as well as provide energy reduction and environmental improvement opportunities.

Sandy Fox assembles a Shop-Vac vacuum cleaner on the company’s assembly line in Williamsport, Pa. Photo credit: Steven M. Falk, Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Central Susquehanna Region Announces 2021-2022 “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Student Video Contest

The Central Susquehanna What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? partners are excited to announce the kickoff of the student video contest for the 2021-2022 school year.

The “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” (WSCM) student video contest pairs student teams with local manufacturers, providing middle school students a unique opportunity to learn what makes modern manufacturing cool and to produce, shoot and edit a video that documents their experience.  The program was created to generate excitement that draws students to consider manufacturing career paths.

“We are extremely excited to hold this program in local school districts again this year” said Lauri Moon, Co-manager Central Susquehanna WSCM and Manager of Training & Outreach with the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center.  “STEM education is vitally important, and these students will get a great opportunity see how cool our local manufacturers are and to share their videos with the community.”

“What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Central Susquehanna Region, produced by the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center, the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, BLaST Intermediate Unit 17, The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, and Advance Central PA will join other regions across Pennsylvania this year with students from eight local school districts partnering with eight manufacturers in the region.  School districts currently signed up to participate include Danville, Central Columbia, Lewisburg, Millville, Selinsgrove, Southern Columbia, Warrior Run and Williamsport.

The students’ videos will compete in the regional contest, culminating with public voting for Viewers Choice and an awards event to be held Spring 2022.  WSCM Central Susquehanna will choose one video to represent the region in the 7^th Annual “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” PA Statewide Awards also being held in the spring.

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.

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.

For more information, visit whatssocool.org.

The long-anticipated OSHA requirements for COVID-19 vaccinations impacting businesses with employees of 100 and more has been released November 4, 2021. Compliance to what is termed an “Emergency Temporary Standard” (ETS) is set for January 4, 2022.

Below is the OSHA issued ETS summary.

OSHA4162

Founded in 2006, Lang’s Chocolates LLC is a family owned and operated manufacturer of handcrafted fine chocolate confections sold at their retail location in downtown Williamsport, PA, as well as, sold and shipped to a worldwide customer base via their online storefront.  Father and son, Robert and William Lang (Master Chocolatier) create and oversee the gourmet products, ensuring the highest quality ingredients are used in production.

Over the past two years, the company has been expanding into providing their own products, such as chocolate chips, as ingredients to other manufacturers of food products.  This led to a substantial opportunity to increase company revenues by opening new markets in the US and worldwide as an ingredient manufacturer/supplier.

Due to regulations and standards that are required and requested as conditions of doing business with this market and to fully develop and execute on this substantial new market opportunity, Lang’s Chocolates was required to develop a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Plan (HACCP) and become SQF (Safe Quality Food) trained and certified, as recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), and ultimately required by the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by 2021.

The company reached out to IMC, who was able to partner with Lang’s and an exceptional third-party consultant to successfully prepare them for the audit, ultimately resulting in the highest SQF 9.0 certification rating of “Excellent”.  The company is currently 1 of only 37 confectionary companies to achieve this level of certification in Pennsylvania.  This also allowed the company to execute a planned 6300 square foot expansion into a new manufacturing facility and resulted in more than $500,000 in new ingredient market sales (and growing), as well as the creation of several new jobs.

Robert Lang enthusiastically credits the skill and experience of the SQF consultant, Martin Ziegler, with their successful certification efforts.  “His background and knowledge were so relevant, and his delivery set a solid foundation upon which we could build for our re-certification as well.”

Help IMC welcome Dennis Gilbert to the team!

IMC’s Board of Directors conducted a national search for a President of the non-profit organization that is focused on growing manufacturing in the 12-county Central Pennsylvania region. IMC is one of seven Industrial Resource Centers in Pennsylvania and a network member of the PA Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

“The Board is pleased that Dennis accepted this position. He’s built strong relationships with manufacturers across the US, including many in Central Pennsylvania and he understands the IMC mission. We look forward to him providing leadership to the organization. Thank you to my colleagues that serve on the IMC Board of Directors and IMC staff for their role in the selection process.” stated Shannon Munro, IMC Board Chairperson.

Dennis was born and raised in Central Pennsylvania and is a strong advocate for the manufacturers that provide a solid economic foundation for the region. His professional experience includes being General Manager of a local manufacturing and retail operation, Managing Director of Workforce Development & Continuing Education at Penn College, and most recently as President/Owner of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. He has experience in manufacturing, leadership, non-profit management, and developing strategic marketing initiatives using social media platforms. Dennis obtained his Master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University in Workforce Education & Development, his Bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania College of Technology in Technology Management, and an Associate degree in Computer Science from Williamsport Area Community College.

“I am excited to assume this leadership position in an organization that serves Central Pennsylvania’s manufacturing community. My past experiences have provided me with both the passion and knowledge to assist the IMC in its mission to maximize positive impact in our region.” stated Gilbert.

Connect with Dennis on LinkedIn!

The U.S. SBA announces major enhancements to the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.

Key changes include:
·    Increasing the COVID EIDL cap to $2 million
·    A deferred payment period
·    Establishment of a 30-day exclusivity window for the smallest businesses
·    Expansion of eligible use of funds

Click here for the full announcement for more details.

A small company in Puerto Rico is seeking domestic manufacturers to produce 64-inch transfer paper rolls.

Please take a few minutes to review the attached opportunity and if interested or know of any company that may be, contact Dana Gordon, danag@imcpa.com, 814-933-7828. She will work with interested companies to determine if the opportunity is a fit and complete the online form for MEP review. Deadline to respond to this request is October 18, 2021.

PaperRollsOpportunity

A small company in Puerto Rico is seeking domestic manufacturers to produce 6 or 7 oz Plastic Containers for Butter with lid and logo integrated.

If interested in learning more about this opportunity, contact IMC Business Advisor, Dana Gordon at danag@imcpa.com, 814-933-7828. She will work with interested companies to determine if the opportunity is a fit and complete required documentation for review. Deadline to respond to this request is October 8, 2021.

Butter Container Supplier Opportunity