The Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network (MAGNET) has partnered with the Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition (NorTech) to receive a $285,000 federal contract for a pilot project focusing on the advanced energy value chain. The contract comes from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP).

MAGNET and NorTech will work together to coach and train a group of regional manufacturing companies to stimulate and support manufacturing innovation, technology acceleration, supply chain development and continuous improvement and efficiency. Specifically, the one-year pilot project will target small-to-mid-sized manufacturers in the areas of biomass/waste-to-energy and electric vehicles.

Ohio currently ranks third in the country in terms of manufacturing production output and manufacturing employment. The MEP project is a chance for this region of Ohio to further assist manufacturers in meeting the demands of an ever-evolving marketplace, according to Rebecca O. Bagley, president and CEO of NorTech.

"Our goal is to establish Northeast Ohio as a regional model for helping manufacturers transition from slow-growth markets to new, high-demand markets with stronger growth potential in emerging technology sectors, such as advanced energy," she says. "Working with MAGNET, we can help our region's manufacturers leverage their existing strengths and diversify their business to capture more global market opportunities."

Should the initial year of the MEP project be successful, there is an opportunity of funding for a second year.

SOURCE: NorTech
WRITER: Diane DiPiero