The U.S. Senate passed the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 last week, which included provisions that authorized the funding of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). The funding was requested by Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl.
“The Manufacturing Extension Partnership program is a proven job creator in Wisconsin and across the nation,” Kohl said. “This is a commonsense investment in our small and medium-sized manufacturers that will lead to Wisconsin companies being more competitive, more profitable, and most importantly, saving and creating jobs.”
The bill passed by the Senate authorized more than $460 million over three years for the MEP.
Wisconsin is home to two MEP Centers, and in the last year, Wisconsin companies that worked with the two centers were able to save or create more than 1,200 jobs, generate $118 million in sales, make $35.8 million in new investments, and generate $37.3 million in cost savings.
MEP centers help small to medium sized manufacturers adopt upgraded, state-of-the-art technology, streamline internal and production processes, identify cost inefficiencies, train workers to adapt to every-changing technological environment.
