VERMONT MANUFACTURING EXTENSION CENTER

Providing Systems and Solutions to help

Vermont Manufacturers Innovate, Plan, Perform and Grow

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VMEC E-NEWS BRIEFS - ISSUE 14 - APRIL 2015

Greetings!

Thank you for your interest in our periodic e-newsletters, VMEC "E-News Briefs". As you know, we cover a range of topics for manufacturers and other enterprises that desire to learn and implement systems and solutions to accelerate sustainable and profitable growth marked by performance excellence. To submit feedback, comments or suggest future content, e-mail vmec@vmec.org.

Thank you!

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

MFG Day and Month returns to VT October 2 and throughout the entire month of October 2015 It's not too early to begin making plans for this growing annual event held across Vermont and the country. Last year over 1,600 activities took place nationwide celebrating modern manufacturing by educating and inspiring future workforce generations of U.S. manufacturers. There are many ways to become involved - HOST an event, ATTEND an event, SPONSOR and/ or SHARE your company's manufacturing story. Need a little more inspiration? Check out the new Science Channel show "All-American Makers". If you need ideas about what other Vermont companies have done in the past, including opening their company doors, contact Robynn Albert, VMEC Marketing and Training Manager, at (802) 793-2078 or ralbert@vmec.org. This event will be here before you know it. It's a great way to educate Vermonters about manufacturing and also recruit a new generation of Vermont workers. Begin your planning TODAY!

Are you in a Maintenance Crisis? Read how you and your team can overcome this most important challenge of every successful facility. How about a FREE on-site review of your maintenance system? If you are interested in learning more about Lean Maintenance, contact us at vmec@vmec.org or (802) 728-1432.

INNOVATION, GROWTH AND TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATION

NEW! Innovation Engineering Express - Just Announced!! May 19

If you've never been part of a high performance innovation team that outpaces the competition in today's fast changing world, IE Express is for YOU!!

Doug Hall, founder of the Eureka! Ranch and the Innovation Engineering Institute, returns to VT once again to teach innovators - new to the system and those who've experienced it first-hand with success - how the powerful the IE system can drive success and future growth. For just $50 and four hours of your time, you will experience a live demonstrative event showing what others have been talking about for years. We're offering two duplicate sessions, morning AND afternoon, for your convenience, held at Burton Snowboards in Burlington.

Growing Innovative Companies in Vermont Read about VMEC Assistant Director and Innovation Engineering Black Belt Patricia Giavara's innovation journey, how it has progressed and what she would do with "unlimited" funds!

InnovationEngineeringLabs.com Designed to help change the world by enabling innovation by everyone, everywhere, every day resulting in increased speed to market and decreased risk. Sign up today to receive this FREE blog in your in box.

WORKFORCE STRATEGIES AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT

VT ExporTech Spring 2015 It's still not too late to attend this session that begins on April 29. You can walk away with a customized company plan to grow sales in global markets. Sign up TODAY and learn from a proven team of experienced export assistance professionals and other local companies with export experience!

SAVE THE DATES! June 1 and 2 We will once again be offering Quality and Auditing certifications, this time in the form of Internal Quality Auditing ISO 9001:2008 as well as Internal Quality Auditing ISO 13485:2003. The ISO 9001 course is designed to instruct participants how to become internal quality auditors. You will learn basic auditing concepts, the key characteristics of a successful auditor, audit planning and much more. The ISO 13485 course provides quality management system requirements for medical devices/components design and manufacture, both domestic and international. This course is designed to instruct participants in the requirements of the 13485 specification and how to become internal quality auditors. Both sessions will take place at The Essex in Essex Junction.

RESOURCES FOR VERMONT MANUFACTURERS

"Advanced to Advantageous: The Case for New England's Manufacturing Revolution" Click here to download this important NEW report which highlights the economics and emerging trends in Advanced Manufacturing across New England including Vermont.

2014 VMEC Impact Report Read the 2014 annual impact report for VMEC, including why manufacturing really matters in Vermont and the U.S.

Tap Into Government Contracting and Industry Opportunities May 6 - 8 Where procurement experts and small business work together; also don't miss VMEC's Wednesday, May 6 "Managing Your Innovation Pipeline" training with Patricia Giavara, Assistant Director and Innovation Engineering Black Belt.

2015 Vermont Employee Ownership Conference June 2 Nationally-known presenters join forces with representatives of Vermont's employee-owned companies to offer a comprehensive look at the ideals and the real world of employee ownership.

Champlain Maker Faire September 26 & 27 Create, innovate, use new tools and modern equipment, to engineer and make "stuff"! New this year is the "Business Maker Innovation Award". If you have cool projects you want to show off, APPLY HERE! The top 12 projects will be exhibited at the Champlain Maker Faire. One will be selected as the top CMMF Innovation Award.

ABOUT VMEC - Click here to learn more about us.

The VMEC Team

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center

email: vmec@vmec.org * phone: (802) 728-1432 * web:www.vmec.org