December 2020

Manufacturing
Update

The Manufacturing Update is a bi-monthly electronic newsletter from Industry Expansion Solutions with up-to-date manufacturing news. Below you can view past issues.

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Lead Stories

Coming Soon: Leadership Essentials for Frontline Leaders

With baby boomers retiring in massive numbers daily, organizations are looking for leadership in younger workers, but there’s a problem. According to Inspire Software, 63% of Millennials believe their leadership skills aren’t fully developed.

IES has a plan to address this dilemma. We’ve created the Leadership Essentials for Frontline Leaders certificate program to develop leaders that inspire, coach and motivate employees to reach their fullest potential.

The format of this program has changed since we first announced it and will now be conducted through virtual led instruction. Upon completion, you will receive a digital certificate and 39 Professional Development Hours (PDHs).

Register for the certificate program today »

ECU Supply Chain Risk and Resiliency Case Study Webinar

Are you interested in learning ways to manage your supply chain more effectively? Join an interactive case study on developing an approach to managing supply chain risk and resiliency on December 10 at 1:00 p.m. The case study is being presented by John Kros, professor of marketing and supply chain management in the College of Business at East Carolina University. Register for the webinar today »

In the event you missed them, the first three installments of the ECU Supply Chain Risk and Resiliency Webinar series are available for you to watch anytime on demand.

Watch the webinars on-demand »

Additive Manufacturing—Where to Start

Is your manufacturer interested in expanding its 3D printing and advanced manufacturing capabilities? Through funds from the NCMEP cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NCMEP partner IES, now has access to Ultimaker S5 Pro, a 3D printer that can be used with North Carolina manufacturers in the state who are interested in exploring advanced manufacturing.

Learn more about the NCMEP partners 3-D printing resources »

ITIF Forum on State Manufacturing Policy

On November 17, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation held a virtual briefing to discuss the new innovations made in state-level manufacturing policy. NCMEP Director Phil Mintz was a panelist and spoke about advanced manufacturing best practices from the perspective of a state-level program.

Watch the briefing on-demand »

mfgCON 2021

Next year, our annual MFGCON is making a comeback!. Come and learn best practices from industry experts and make important connections. Join us for North Carolina’s premier manufacturing conference. MFGCON 2021 will be held on May 4-5, 2021 at the Durham Convention Center in Durham, North Carolina.

Learn More»

NPE: The Plastics Show is On

Join NCMEP partner the Polymers Center at NPE2021, The Plastics Show, May 17-21 in Orlando, Florida. The show provides a global platform for technological ingenuity and innovation in the plastics industry—ranging from automation, robots, cobots, end-of-arm tooling, three- and four-dimensional printing, mold components, industrial polymers and anything else you can imagine. NPE only comes around once every three years, so don’t miss your chance to experience innovation firsthand at the 2021 show. Visit us at booth WL-10.

Register today »

ECU Business Continuity Planning Webinar Series Available On-Demand

Are you curious to know more about the business continuity planning process and learn how to strengthen your organization’s resiliency? East Carolina University (ECU), an NCMEP Partner, recently hosted a four-part business continuity planning webinar series. The series, presented by Sharon Justice, a teaching instructor for the ECU College of Business Leadership and Development Program, walks through the process of designing a business plan, creating a recovery plan, a crisis communication plan and more.

Watch the webinars on-demand »

New Episode of Clocking In—Voices of NC Manufacturing

In the November episode of Clocking In, NCMEP’s Phil Mintz sits down for a second time with Dr. Michael Walden, an economist and a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished professor at NC State University. Phil inquires about how the pandemic has affected the U.S. economy and North Carolina manufacturing, what an economic recovery would look like, how the US-China Trade deal is faring so far and more.

Listen Now »

Grant Funded Services Available for Businesses Impacted by COVID-19

Through recent Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) funding, NCMEP has launched the Emergency Assistance Program (EAP) to provide grant funded services that support manufacturers’ ability to respond to the coronavirus and improve their competitiveness as the market adapts to the disruption.

To determine your eligibility for the funding, the first step is to complete the NCM EP EAP survey. This survey confidentially assesses the impacts of COVID-19 on your business and serves as input for future NCMEP grant needs or new services that may be developed across the MEP National Network. Taking the survey will help us identify those who may qualify for CARES assistance.

Once you complete the survey, a Regional Manager in your area will contact you.

Take the Survey and Get Started »

mfgCON Virtual Pre-Conference

Did you miss the MFGCON Virtual Pre-Conference on November 5? No problem! Catch up on all of the information from industry experts about the future of manufacturing, internal supply chains, manufacturing policy and more.

Watch the pre-conference on-demand »
(Webinar access password: iA4T%^41)

STREAM 2021

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), an NCMEP partner, is a founding partner of the new Manufacturing Suppliers Connections STREAM virtual tradeshow. The goal of STREAM 2021 is to connect manufacturers within the greater Charlotte region in an exposition, allowing businesses to strengthen local supply chain channels, both upstream and downstream, and to enhance the efficiency of industry operations by accessing critical components and raw materials.

STREAM 2021 is slated to take place over the course of two days in February 2021.

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We engineer success for manufacturing businesses one solution at a time by understanding our clients’ needs and then crafting meaningful and sustainable solutions to address their business requirements. Through our tailored programs and research-based, time-tested methodologies, we provide solutions to assist in strategic direction, improve performance and processes and address top line growth. We collaborate with clients to develop and implement comprehensive services and solutions across: