The Montana Manufacturing Extension Center is a statewide manufacturing
outreach & assistance center staffed by full-time professionals
with degrees in engineering and extensive experience in manufacturing
and business in a variety of industries, plus a B2B marketing specialist
made available through a collaboration with the Montana Department
of Commerce. MMEC has a proven record of positive impact for client
firms and the economy -
click on adjacent report icon for more detail.
Our home office is in the College
of Engineering at Montana State University, Bozeman, with field
offices at the MSU and in Missoula, Kalispell, and Helena. MMEC
has provided worthwhile assistance to improve top-line and bottom-line
growth to over 800 clients across Montana from Alzada to Eureka and
Corvallis to Opheim (in 54 of Montana's 56 counties!).
A showcase Lean Pull System at Timberline
Tool eliminated overstock with a 65 percent reduciton in finished
goods without delaying deliveries and cut inventory carrying costs
by more than $135,000 on two high-volume toolsl "We can operate
in less space because our new layout is designed for flow."
-- Ken Green, President, Timberline
Tool, Whitefish
MMEC can assess your business operations today and help you innovate
- grow - profit for tomorrow. Our field staff are knowledgeable,
unbiased, and forthright in their observations as we work with you
to improve your business. Hear more from manufacturers in the video
clips below, including Pat Miller Sr. and Patrick Miller Jr. from
PFM Manufacturing and Don Profota from Lattice Materials.
HEROES OF AMERICAN MANUFACTURING
From Montana to NYC -- Hear what manufacturing firms PFM, Townsend
MT, & Lee Spring, NYC, have in common.
With special remarks by MMEC's Todd Daniels!
Montana and New York's clients are featured in this brief video,
an inspiring Made in America
success story that debuted at the national MEP conference, Manufacturing
Innovation May 2012.
How MEPs Help Strengthen Manufacturing
a video featuring MMEC Board Member Don Profota about 2 min. in.
"The fact that we started looking
at things systematically with the help of MMEC early in the process
(of moving from development into production with a promising technology)
means we incorporated best practices and streamlined production
to maximize our capabilities and capacity." Since working with
MMEC, the company has seen exponential growth in outside sales for
2010, representing more than 25 percent of the company income with
forecasts of continued increases.
-- Elizabeth Noonan, AdvR
contract coordinator, Bozeman
We can help small companies (20 or fewer
employees) with workforce training grant applications
made available by the Montana Department of Labor. Contact your
local MMEC Field Engineer,
BEAR Team or SBDC Center to learn more. The Montana Department of
Commerce also has workforce training grants.
MMEC - MAKING A DIFFERENCE
From MMEC founding
in 1996 through Q4 2012
As a result of direct MMEC services per clients surveyed
Increased/Retained Sales
$824.3 million
Cost Savings
$92.3 million
Capital & Workforce investments
$140.3 million
Manufacturing Jobs Created/Retained
2,796
*From
independent survey & analysis process approved by the
National Institute of Standards &Technology (NIST)
MMEC is part of a nationwide network, the NIST
Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), to assist
small and mid-size manufacturers in becoming more competitive and
profitable. Because we don't pretend to know everything, we have
cultivated extensive resources and partnerships in Montana and elsewhere
to find the answers or additional services you need. Our smart 800-number
800-MEP-4MFG connects Montana callers to MMEC; from other states,
the connection is to the MEP center in that area. MMEC receives
financial and program support
from MSU,
the State
of Montana, the National
Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST),
MEP and other private/ public partners.