Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center

ILLINOIS MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE CENTER (IMEC)

MANUFACTURING EXTENSION SERVICES IN ILLINOIS

ILLINOIS MANUFACTURING EXTENSION CENTER - IMEC

MEP SERVICE TO THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA SERVICE TERRITORY.

ILLINOIS MANUFACTURING EXTENSION CENTER - IMEC

PURPOSE: STRENGTHEN ILLINOIS' MANUFACTURING AND WORKFORCE COMPETITIVENESS BY IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY, ACCELERATING TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, ENHANCING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE, AND STRENGTHENING SUPPLY CHAINS TO DRIVE MEASURABLE ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR ILLINOIS AND THE NATION.KEY ACTIVITIES: IMEC WILL SERVE AS THE FIRST-STOP RESOURCE FOR SMM COMPETITIVENESS AND RESILIENCE, WITH FOCUSED SUPPORT FOR MANUFACTURERS' GROWTH AND MODERNIZATION. CORE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:DELIVERING TAILORED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THROUGH SIX INTEGRATED SOLUTION PILLARS.LEVERAGING ASSESSMENTS, ANALYTICS, EDUCATION, AND APPLIED PROGRAMS STATEWIDE TO ACCELERATE ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGIES, AI AND DIGITAL TOOLS, CYBERSECURITY, AND WORKFORCE UPSKILLING.CONVENING INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, ACADEMIA, AND WORKFORCE PARTNERS TO ALIGN RESOURCES, REDUCE FRAGMENTATION, AND SCALE IMPACT FOR MANUFACTURERS.OUTCOMES: IMEC WILL MAINTAIN A BEST-IN-CLASS MEP CENTER DELIVERING CONSISTENT, VERIFIABLE OUTCOMES ALIGNED WITH NIST MEP PRIORITIES, INCLUDING:HIGH PERFORMANCE IN CLIENT-VALIDATED IMPACTS SUCH AS NEW AND RETAINED SALES, COST SAVINGS, JOBS CREATED AND RETAINED, AND INVESTMENT.EXPANDED MARKET PENETRATION PARTICULARLY AMONG SMALL, RURAL, AND PRIORITY-INDUSTRY MANUFACTURERS.STRENGTHENED MANUFACTURING ECOSYSTEMS, IMPROVED CAREER PATHWAYS, AND INCREASED DEPLOYMENT OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES.EXEMPLARY GOVERNANCE, CYBERSECURITY, AND FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP.THESE OUTCOMES DIRECTLY SUPPORT NATIONAL MANUFACTURING COMPETITIVENESS, SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE, AND WORKFORCE READINESS.BENEFICIARIES: PRIMARY BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE ILLINOIS SMMS, REGIONAL AND STATEWIDE MANUFACTURING ECOSYSTEMS, AND WORKFORCE PARTICIPANTS. MANUFACTURERS GAIN IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY AND COMPETITIVENESS; WORKERS GAIN FUTURE-READY SKILLS AND CAREER PATHWAYS; AND COMMUNITIES BENEFIT FROM SUSTAINED GROWTH.SUBRECIPIENTS: FOUR ILLINOIS UNIVERSITIES WILL SERVE AS SUBRECIPIENTS, CONTRIBUTING APPLIED RESEARCH, FACULTY EXPERTISE, AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT. UNIVERSITY REPRESENTATIVES SERVE AS NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBERS, PROVIDING STRATEGIC INSIGHT AND ENSURING PROGRAMMATIC ALIGNMENT.

HIGH GROWTH

MANUFACTURING SUPPORT DURING COVID RECOVERY

MEP SUPPLY CHAIN SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

EMBEDDING MEP IN THE DIGITAL LAB

PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO EXPAND EXISTING MEP CAPABILITIES TO PROVIDE NATIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN OPTIMIZATION AND TO ESTABLISH A SUPPLY CHAIN INTELLIGENCE NETWORK. IMPROVE THE RESILIENCY AND OPTIMIZATION FOR DOMESTIC SUPPLY CHAINS IN THE MEP NATIONAL NETWORK IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THOROUGH SUPPLIER SCOUTING AND MATCHMAKING ACTIVITIES, WHICH WILL INVOLVE RESPONDING TO 100% OF ALL NIST MEP SCOUTING REQUESTS. IMEC WILL ALSO ENGAGE IN EXTENSIVE OUTREACH TO IDENTIFY MATCHES AND DETERMINE SUPPLY CHAIN NEEDS FROM ILLINOIS MANUFACTURERS, INCLUDING OEMS; ASSESS AND ANALYZE SUPPLY CHAIN CAPABILITY, CAPACITY, AND GAPS IN PRIORITY SUPPLY CHAINS, TO INCLUDE SEMICONDUCTOR, AUTOMOTIVE (EV TRANSITION), AEROSPACE, CASTING/FORGING, AND LOCAL SUPPLIER MAPPING PILOTS IN RURAL COUNTIES; EXPAND, REFRESH, AND ESTABLISH SERVICE OFFERINGS TO AUGMENT ABOVE ACTIVITIES AND STRENGTHEN SMALL AND MID-SIZED MANUFACTURERS? CAPABILITIES AS SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS; EXECUTE FULL TRACKING AND REPORTING OF SUPPLY CHAIN ACTIVITIES, INSIGHTS, OUTPUTS, AND OUTCOMES. THIS WILL INCLUDE KEEPING RECORDS OF INTRODUCTIONS, SERVICES, AND MATCHES. IMEC WILL UTILIZE SALESFORCE TO TRACK AND REPORT USING PREDEFINED METRICS AND DASHBOARDS. IMEC WILL ALSO TURN TO RESOURCES SUCH AS THE THOMAS REGISTER OF AMERICAN MANUFACTURERS AND OTHER RELATED DATABASES FOR DATA INTELLIGENCE. IMEC IS STILL EVALUATING DATABASES SUCH AS CONNEX AND SUSTAINMENT BASED ON THEIR EFFECTIVENESS TO GENERATE CENTER LEAD IMPACTS.EXPECTED OUTCOMES: OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS WILL INCLUDE NIST MEP SUPPLIER SCOUTING RESPONSE RATES, COUNT OF ADDITIONAL SCOUTING REQUESTS FROM ILLINOIS, MATCHES FACILITATED, EVENTS, AND SUPPLY CHAIN INTELLIGENCE REPORTS. THE MOST IMPORTANT OUTCOME FACTORS WILL BE REPORTED IMPACTS THROUGH THE MEP SURVEY PROCESS AND CASE STUDIES/SUCCESS STORIES.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED MANUFACTURERS (SMMS) IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: IMEC WILL SUBAWARD FUNDS TO THEIR LONG-STANDING HOST UNIVERSITIES.

SUSAN HARWOOD GRANTS

NEXT GENERATION RAIL INDUSTRY INITIATIVE - ILLINOIS MANUFACTURING EXTENSION CENTER