{"253731":{"#nid":"253731","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GaMEP helps manufacturing prosper in Georgia","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have been offering manufacturing extension services in Georgia since the early 1960s,\u201d Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) Director \u003Cstrong\u003EKaren Fite\u003C\/strong\u003E explained at her Oct. 21 Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute Brown Bag Seminar. \u201cWe have been doing manufacturing extension much longer than most universities.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe reason for this emphasis on assisting manufacturers in Georgia is the impact the sector has on the state\u2019s economy. Manufacturing makes up the second largest sector of Georgia\u2019s Gross Domestic Product. It employs more than 350,000 Georgians or about 8.5 percent of all jobs in Georgia. But more importantly, it makes up 84 percent of exports out of Georgia, and manufacturing in the state pays 15.8 percent higher than the state average wage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe GaMEP has about 50 employees located throughout the state to help provide services in commercialization, entrepreneurship and extension services for a variety of industries. \u201cThis is what the state wants us to do,\u201d said Fite. \u201cThe manufacturing services has been around the longest, but we also serve healthcare, procurement, diversity and economic development.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the national level, MEPs assist approximately 34,000 firms each year and complete 10,000 projects annually. MEPS were developed in the early 1990s, and now there is one in each state. GaMEP has representatives located throughout nine regions across the state to assist primarily small and mid-sized manufacturers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe National Institutes of Standards and Technology have given the MEPs the mission to focus on five key areas of manufacturing assistance:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETechnology acceleration\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESupply chain\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWorkforce\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESustainability\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EContinuous improvement\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaMEP touches all of these areas, but because of the work of the state\u2019s technical college system, they do not focus their efforts too much on workforce development. One way it has found to best assist Georgia manufacturers, however, is to survey them every two years. \u201cIt is one thing to assume we know the challenges,\u201d said Fite, \u201cbut it is another to ask Georgia manufacturers what their challenges are.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFite highlighted a few of the key findings from the most recent survey. Marketing and sales, for example is always among the top needs identified by Georgia manufacturers. On the other hand, product development and design is low on their list of challenges. \u201cThe interesting news is that insourcing is starting to exceed outsourcing,\u201d Fite explained. \u201cThis is the first year insourcing is higher. Georgia manufacturers are starting to say, \u2018How can we grow our business and bring more work in?\u2019 \u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor most survey respondents, when presented with four strategy options, the majority (56.1 percent) of Georgia manufacturers said that they expect to grow their business by focusing on high-quality product. The other strategy options broke down as follows:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EQuick delivery \u2013 12.7 percent\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAdapting product to customer needs \u2013 12.7 percent\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELow price \u2013 17.1 percent\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EInnovation and technology \u2013 8.5 percent\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFite pointed out, however, that the firms who can help the Georgia economy the most are those who focus on innovation and technology. This strategy provides a higher return on sales and employee salaries are higher, thus having a more positive impact on the state\u2019s economy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe challenge is that Georgia firms typically do not invest in R\u0026amp;D as much as their counterparts around the nation.\u0026nbsp; Manufacturing R\u0026amp;D intensity, or R\u0026amp;D expenditures as a percentage of sales, on the national level is 4.5 percent. In Georgia, however, it is only about 1 percent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnfortunately, as Fite previously pointed out, this can ultimately impact our economy by reducing the return on sales and lowering manufacturing wages. \u201cWe try to explain to them that they need to innovate,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you aren\u2019t innovating, you are losing ground.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA unit of the Enterprise Innovation Institute, GaMEP is a cost-effective alternative to traditional manufacturing consulting. To learn more about GaMEP, please visit: \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gamep.org\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/gamep.org\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFite\u2019s presentation was part of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute\u2019s weekly Brown Bag Seminar Series. The seminars take place each Monday between noon and 1 p.m. in the Manufacturing Research Building, Room 114. Students and faculty are invited and are welcome to bring their lunch to the meeting. If you have questions or you want to be added to the reminder list for these events, please contact Tina Guldberg at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:tina.guldberg@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Etina.guldberg@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership Director Karen Fite explained the importance of manufacturing to the state\u0027s economy and how GaMEP assists the industry at a recent GTMI Brown Bag Seminar.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership Director Karen Fite explained the importance of manufacturing to the state\u0027s economy and how GaMEP assists the industry at a recent GTMI Brown Bag Seminar."}],"uid":"27857","created_gmt":"2013-11-11 17:02:11","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:22","author":"Tracy Heath","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-11-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-11-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"155831","name":"Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"79611","name":"Brown Bag Seminar"},{"id":"16331","name":"GaMEP"},{"id":"52201","name":"Karen Fite"},{"id":"215","name":"manufacturing"},{"id":"79631","name":"manufacturing extension partnership"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETina Guldberg\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDirector, Strategic Partnerships\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-385-4950\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:tina.guldberg@gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Etina.guldberg@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["tina.guldberg@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}