| Upcoming Events |
June 25, 2009
Meet the Midwest: Growth Strategies from the Inside Out
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July 14, 2009
ManufacturingWorks Lean Manufacturing Workshop
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| About Us |
The Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council (CMRC) is a partnership of the region's labor, business, government, education and community leaders working together to establish the Chicago area as a global leader in high-performance, high value-added manufacturing. Why manufacturing? |
Programs & Initiatives
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Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA)
Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA), established in 2007, is Chicago's first and only manufacturing-focused high school. Located in the West Side neighborhood of Austin, APA prepares students for career paths that can start in skilled production positions and end in management and even ownership of companies. Students are exposed to manufacturing through company tours, job shadowing, work-based projects. APA is currently fundraising for a machine shop where APA students and community residents can earn nationally-recognized credentials and gain a significant advantage in the advanced manufacturing job market.
For more information, visit austinpolytech.com.
Chicago Green Manufacturing Network
In partnership with the Cleveland-based Great Lakes Wind Network, he Renaissance Council has established the Chicago Green Manufacturing Network, a new initiative to establish Chicago as a base for the global supply chain for wind turbine manufacturing. The program aims to connect wind energy OEMs--companies from around the world that design and assemble turbines--to local manufacturing companies that can produce highly specialized, technologically complex turbine parts that are in short supply. For more information,
see our project summary.
ManufacturingWorks
ManufacturingWorks, also known as the Chicago Workforce Center for Manufacturing, is a demand-driven program that specializes in meeting the workforce needs of high-performance manufacturers. ManufacturingWorks also provides "lean" training to help manufacturers cut costs and increase performance. To date, ManufacturingWorks has relationships with more than 270 companies; has made more than 1,000 job placements; has provided 68 companies with "lean" training; and has trained more than 1,000 workers.
For more information, visit chicagomfgworks.com.
Center for Polytechnical Education (CPE)
The Center of Polytechnical Education (CPE) is a new 501c3 not-for-profit school operator. CPE's mission is to strengthen communities through educational programs that prepare students to be leaders in the 21st century knowledge economy. CPE now operates two schools: Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA) and the Chicago Academy for Advanced Technology (CAAT). Developed by nationally recognized educators and researchers, CPE's polytechnical model of education uses scientifically-based, field-tested curricula and instructional strategies that accelerate learning and develop students' expert thinking and reasoning skills. A key aspect of CPE schools is their focus on collaborative partnerships with businesses and other organizations. CPE's website is coming soon. | |
Message from the Executive Director | Building our Economic Recovery
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"We're going to win back manufacturing. But right now we're behind. [Hydrogen car] batteries are being made in Japan - just like wind power is being made in Europe. We need to bring that here, and that's part of what my budget and part of what our Recovery Act is all about."
-- President Barack Obama
For four years the CMRC and its various partners have been highlighting the role that advanced manufacturing plays as the foundation for economic development in our region, our state and our country. Advanced manufacturing is the highest fusion of public and private interests.
- It creates jobs with excellent wages and benefits. It is the only sector that can really build a robust middle class. It is far more beneficial to our society and economy than the retail, service, real estate and tourism sectors. In fact the health of manufacturing benefits all of those sectors because good paying jobs allow our residents to buy more products, support a mortgage, take a trip, and increase their use of services. It is the only sector that could end poverty.
Read more
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Become an Official Partner of the Renaissance Council
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 Help us make Chicago the global leader in advanced manufacturing! Add your organization to our growing list of official partners today.
Our new partnership structure allows companies, organizations, unions, individuals, agencies, and other stakeholders to publicly show their support for the Renaissance Council. The ability to demonstrate broad support for our mission and vision is critical to the success of our projects and fundraising initiatives.
You can register online or download the printable PDF form. To learn more, please see our partnership details.
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Partner Spotlight | Quality Float Works, Inc.
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 As an engineer and business owner, Sandra Westlund-Deenihan understands the importance of investing in the American workforce. That's why she and her company, Quality Float Works, support the CMRC.
"My work with the CMRC is not about benefitting my company specifically. It's about creating sustainability for the manufacturing industry as a whole," Sandra says. "It's about leaving a legacy of a skilled workforce for my son. If I don't leave him a workforce, I leave him nothing. It's all about creating a sustainable manufacturing industry that can compete and grow in the global economy."
As the chair of the CMRC's West Suburban Chapter, Sandra worked hard to put together the successful Community Colleges and Manufacturing Conference earlier this year. Now she heads the economic stimulus committee along with Dan Swinney.
Read more
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WindPower 2009 Convention Blows Chicago Away
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 Last month, the American Wind Energy Association held its annual WindPower convention at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event was the largest of its kind in the world, attracting 23,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitioners. WindPower2009 featured a wide variety of companies, from wind turbine manufacturers to component producers, from wind farm operators to construction companies.
WindPower 2009 demonstrated the dynamism of the emerging wind energy industry, as well as the wealth of opportunities for companies to break in to this market, particularly as component suppliers to turbine manufacturers. The CMRC is particularly interested in how the growth of this market can affect local manufacturing companies. Current demand for turbine components is skyrocketing, in large part because these parts can be extremely large and complex.
Read more
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The CMRC Goes to Germany
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CMRC Executive Director Dan
Swinney traveled to Germany this month to speak at a workshop held by
Sozialforschungsstelle (SFS) in Dortmund, Germany.
The CMRC's vision for education reform was inspired in part by Dortmund. In
2001, a seven-person delegation including Don Turner, Chicago Federation
of Labor; Amy Sherman, staff for the Manufacturing Workforce Development
Project; Friederica Kaider, the Candy Institute; Peggy Luce, the Chicagoland
Chamber of Commerce; Linda Kaiser, the Chicago Workforce Investment Board;
Diedra Lewis, City Colleges of Chicago; Brian Banks; and Ric Guddell, Illinois
Manufacturing Foundation went to study the German and Danish education and
training systems for manufacturing. The
trip was funded by the German Marshall Fund.
The delegation learned about industry credentials, dual education
systems, the role of social partnerships in education reform -- all of which
are now key parts of the CMRC's vision and strategy.
On this last trip, Dan was hosted by the SFS-a large research and policy
institute and it's Director Wilfried Kruse. Dave Hanson was to join Dan but had to
cancel. Dan presented the CMRC
experience and perspectives at a regional conference of leaders from labor,
local governments, academia, and economic development professionals. The
following day, a smaller group had a more detailed exchange on Dan's
presentation. There was genuine interest in how Chicago had applied German and
Danish experience in the creation of CMRC and schools like Austin Polytech.
Dortmund's history in many ways mirrors that of Chicago. Although it has
only 600,000 people the region lost about 80,000 industrial jobs in mining,
steel, and breweries in the 80s and 90s. In the past decade it has attempted to
build an infrastructure around education for advanced technology as a
foundation for attracting research and innovative "creative"
companies in nanotechnology, micro-technology, and other advanced technology.
There's more to learn from Dortmund, and would be an excellent model for the
City of Chicago and our partners to understand.
It's likely that a delegation
from Dortmund will be visiting Chicago and Milwaukee in late September,
providing an opportunity for the CMRC community to learn more from them and to
continue this exchange.
Read Dan's speech
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Reflections on APA's Second Year
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by Erica Swinney Stein, CPE Director of Community Programs
Finally, I can take a moment to catch my breath after an incredibly productive school year at Austin Polytech. APA's second year was a busy one. We focused on ensuring that our key programs are implemented with the high level of quality consistent required by our vision.
Most APA students went on tours to some of our partner companies, such as WaterSaver Faucet (pictured above), Winzeler Gear, Rexam, Hudson Precision, S&C Electric, Iverson & Co., and many more. Eight students and four partner companies also participated in a job shadow pilot program to help us figure out how to expand job shadowing opportunities to our broader student body in the upcoming school year.
Read more
View photos from the recent Austin Portraits event
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