From the Desk of Jack Healy, Viewpoints on the State of Manufacturing
Language- No Barrier When It Comes to Helping Manufacturers
By: Karen Myhaver, Program Support Coordinator, MassMEP
The Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) recently hosted a delegation of eight Russian gentlemen who work in various business development organizations, the Ministry for Economic Development, the Ministry of Education and Science, a bank, a university for Information Technology, Mechanics and Optics and a community organization in Russia.
The delegation arrived at the MassMEP office to learn more about the MassMEP technical assistance program, as they are considering creating a program similar to the MEP system in Russia. Part of the learning process of the MEP system was to hear the impact MassMEP has had on several of its clients and manufacturing in Massachusetts. MassMEP clients included Jeff King, VP and COO of FloDesign; Bob Treiber, President of Boston Engineering Corp., and Jeffrey Gilling, President and Matt Edison COO of Diamond-Roltran.
The visit marks the start of The Science and Technology Policy and Innovation Small Business Program between Russia and the US. The International Center of Worcester (ICW) arranged for the group’s visits, training and transportation while in the Worcester and Boston areas. ICW is an independent, non-profit membership organization located on the Clark University campus, and is part of a nationwide membership of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) in Washington, D.C. Royce Anderson, Executive Director of ICW accompanied the delegation on their visit to MassMEP.
Host Greg King, Mass MEP Innovation Program Manager began the event with an overview of MEP’s programs and strategic focus. He explained that the MEP has a national presence through NIST MEP and that the four hundred MEP centers across the country present a homogenous variety of services focusing on profitable growth and assisting their clients’ development as Next Generation Manufacturers.
A slide titled “Impacts Reported by MassMEP Clients” inspired questions from the guests: “What sets MassMEP apart from competitors? “How is the MEP funded?” and “What makes customers choose Mass MEP over other resources?”
As part of his response, Greg referred to the last line on a slide which read, “our clients receive a return of $35 for every dollar they spend.” MEP centers concentrate on a company’s best business practices and technologies and stand apart from other consultants because they are measured by client impacts. Matt Edison of Diamond Roltran, suggested that the expertise and experience of MassMEP project managers plays a significant role in their being chosen as consultants and should be mentioned.Through the MassMEP Center for Growth and Innovation and the Massachusetts Growth and Innovation Network (M-GIN) the MassMEP and their partners provide valuable assistance to manufacturers who are looking for new ideas, who need assistance with commercialization or who have ideas but lack other capabilities.
This information segued into presentations by three MassMEP clients which highlighted their innovative ideas and products and how Mass MEP has assisted their businesses.
