Mtech, RMI Launch Maryland Manufacturing Partnerships Program to Make State Tops in Manufacturing

The University of Maryland's Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) and the Regional Manufacturing Institute (RMI) are jointly launching a new program of excellence to help manufacturers in Maryland compete in a rapidly changing global environment, make the state a national model for modern manufacturing, and serve as a showcase for 21st-century entrepreneurial manufacturing and engineering, university and RMI officials will announce today at the GreenTech conference, hosted by RMI, in Timonium, Md.

Called Maryland Manufacturing Partnerships (MMP), the program will pull together a network of resources from around the state, including third-party experts, University System of Maryland faculty, the National Institute of Standards and Technology's national Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) network, and expert, in-house consultants to strengthen the competitiveness of Maryland manufacturing companies.

"Our goal at RMI is to make Maryland number one in the nation for manufacturing," says RMI President Mike Galiazzo. "With this partnership and the involvement of key groups around the state, that becomes possible."

MMP's focus areas for delivering services to manufacturers will include:

• continuous improvement, lean manufacturing and an increased emphasis on transformational projects, including supply-chain development;

• sustainability and energy, incorporating green technology and sustainable practices in products and processes, with energy assessments supported by the Maryland Energy Administration, and energy management systems training and pollution prevention assessments supported by the Maryland Department of the Environment;

• innovation and technology acceleration, developing and modifying programs so manufacturers can seamlessly adopt modern technologies; and

• strengthening the manufacturing workforce through education and training to meet 21st-century demands.

"We are excited about our partnership with RMI," says Martha Connolly, director of Mtech's Maryland Industrial Partnerships program. "Together, for the first time, we are going to coalesce all of the resources available to Maryland manufacturers to help them compete globally."

The Maryland Manufacturing Partnerships program will feature a new social networking and informational Web site that connects manufacturers with each other, state resources, and service providers.

MMP is supported by the NIST MEP, a national network with hundreds of specialists who understand and address the needs of manufacturers. For the past 20 years, they have worked with thousands of manufacturers, delivering $1.44 billion in cost savings annually and $10.5 billion in increased or retained sales in one year.

MMP plans eight events, one in each Maryland congressional district, highlighting a transformational manufacturing company.

September 18, 2009