What is MEP?

MEP stands for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. MEP is a nationwide network of not-for-profit centers in nearly 350 locations nationwide, whose sole purpose is to provide small and medium sized manufacturers with the help they need to succeed. The centers, serving all 50 States and Puerto Rico, are linked together through the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology. Centers are funded by federal, state, local and private resources to serve manufacturers. That makes it possible for even the smallest firms to tap into the expertise of knowledgeable manufacturing and business specialists all over the United States. These specialists are people who have had experience on manufacturing floors and in plant operations.

Each center works directly with area manufacturers to provide expertise and services tailored to their most critical needs, which range from process improvements and worker training to business practices and applications of information technology. Solutions are offered through a combination of direct assistance from center staff and outside consultants. Centers often help small firms overcome barriers in locating and obtaining private-sector resources. Since the beginning of MEP, we've assisted over 149,000 firms and growing

Impact & Results

Evaluation is a key element of all NIST MEP programs and activities. Results are used to assess the effectiveness of services and their impact on the performance of client firms, and to help guide planning at both the center and network levels. By measuring short- and long-term impacts, NIST MEP can assess economic returns on the federal investment in manufacturing extension services. Many studies are finding that small manufacturers who work with their local NIST MEP center show dramatic improvements. 

In a survey of NIST MEP clients served from October 2002 through September  2003, companies around the country reported that, as a result of NIST MEP services, they:

• Created or retained 50,315 jobs
• Increased $1,483 million in sales
• Retained sales of $2.638 billion
• Realized $686 million in cost savings
• invested $912 million in modernization, including plant and equipment, information systems, and workforce and training
• Served 18,422 clients in FY 2003

More impacts are available in "Making a Difference for America's Manufacturers" and Delivering Measurable Returns.

(LÄS OCH BEGRUNDA - NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)  http://www.nist.gov/ är organiserad under DOC (Department of Commerce)   http://www.commerce.gov/  med inblandning av http://www.technology.gov/  )

http://www.mep.nist.gov/difference2.pdf

http://www.mep.nist.gov/delivering-3.pdf

Other independent studies also have yielded solid evidence of performance and economic benefits. For example, researchers at the Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau, found that manufacturing extension clients experienced between 3.4 percent and 16 percent more growth in labor productivity over a five-year period than similar non-client firms. The productivity growth of the 1,559 firms studied translates into $484 million in additional value-added at client firms.

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Och hur gör vi i Sverige? Helt oordning på hur man styr standard, tekniskutveckling och entreprenörskap. Exempelvis ansvarar UD för SIS. Oc SIS verkar mer vara en bokandel som säljer dokument än att strategiskt se på vad standarden kan höja inhems Svensk produktion och produkter. HMMM?