How MEPs can help drive a manufacturing renaissance

Starting new initiatives like Austin Polytech is an important step toward establishing Chicagoland as the global leader in advanced manufacturing, but it’s equally important to support and develop existing resources like the US Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program.

The primary focus of an MEP is to serve manufacturers with fewer than 500 employees — a key constituency of the Renaissance Council. MEPs help these companies take advantage of opportunities for growth and improvements in productivity. Last year, MEPs nationwide worked with 31,961 manufacturers, providing assistance that created or retained 52,948 jobs, produced $9.1 billion in new and retained sales, and facilitated modernization investments exceeding $1.71 billion.

Our local MEP, the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC), has produced more than $100 million in verified impacts on manufacturing cost savings, sales, and investments each year. In the last two years alone, the companies IMEC served reported creating or retaining nearly 2,200 jobs at a time when many other companies were reducing employment. Since its inception in 1996, IMEC services have generated more than $1 billion in economic benefits for companies and Illinois.

This is an outstanding start, but MEPs have the potential for an even greater impact on the manufacturing renaissance in Chicago and across the United States. IMEC and other MEPs have found success in providing direct assistance to companies that need it. However, an expanded, more strategic approach would amplify the effect of programs like IMEC.

IMEC is funded mostly by the federal government, and recently received a $3 million grant for expansion in Chicago. The Renaissance Council believes an expanded IMEC will serve as a valuable complement to local training and economic development programs, especially if their Chicago activities take a strategic, “big picture” approach to issues like:

• Education – IMEC already helps companies with employee training. There could be room for collaboration with programs like Austin Polytech and Chicago City Colleges to increase access to high-quality training across the Chicago area.
• New Markets – IMEC and the national MEP system are deploying new tools to enable more manufacturers to sell internationally — a great fit with the Renaissance Council’s Chicago Green Manufacturing Network, a proposed initiative to help local manufacturers expand into the global wind energy market.
• Innovation – IMEC has highlighted the critical link between manufacturing and innovation. A potential springboard to foster innovation here in Chicago is the Renaissance Council’s proposed Austin Renewable Energy Innovation Park, a high-tech R&D and business incubator that could propel Chicago to the forefront of wind energy innovation.

The Renaissance Council exists mainly to facilitate collaboration between supporters of advanced manufacturing. Chicago offers many opportunities for IMEC to get involved in strategic initiatives to underscore their direct assistance to companies. How could your organization collaborate with IMEC to make Chicago a global manufacturing leader? Share your thoughts by commenting below.