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 16 - AUGUST 2015
Greetings! 

Thank you for your interest in our periodic e-newsletters.  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 on October 2 and runs   throughout the month of October 2015 Have you made your plans yet for this year's MFG Day??  It will be upon us in just a few short weeks. There are many ways to become involved - HOST an event, ATTEND an event, SPONSOR and/ or SHARE your company's manufacturing story.  MFG Day organizers have just released the new "Rock MFG DAY Kit", a FREE package of multimedia resources you can use to engage your audience.  Click here to see what the kit includes as well as view this 4-minute video of how you can make your event ROCK!! Don't miss out - register TODAY to host or attend or both!!   

Note to Upper Valley businesses: Upper Valley Manufacturing Week will run from October 5-8, 2015. Sarah Rooker, Director of New Initiatives at American Precision Museum, will once again be coordinating tours and presentations for schools in the Upper Valley. Contact Sarah at (802) 674-5781 or srooker@americanprecision.org if you would like help finding a company to tour or if you are a company interested in hosting a school. See event flyer here for companies registered to date. 

To All VT companies: If you need ideas concerning 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 is a great way to educate Vermonters about manufacturing and also help recruit a new generation of Vermont workers. 

Is a new ERP system in your plan for 2016-2017?  A successful implementation begins with selecting the ERP software that's right for your company.  Results of using the SoftSelect ERP selection process include: deep confidence in the selection decision and favorable price and terms for software - often 50% savings. The SoftSelect process has been developed and tuned with over 1,900 software selections since 1996.  If you are thinking about a new ERP, contact VMEC today for a free informational webinar.

"The Universe is Not Random!"  VMEC and CoreValue are partnering on a 'Vermont learning project' designed to achieve a better understanding of the operational health and value of Vermont's manufacturing community. 



John Burton, NPI President and co-owner, explains how the integration of high precision, advanced materials and information technologies allows an advanced manufacturer to excel. John serves on the VMEC Advisory Board. (Source: New England Business Journal, August 2015)

5 Tips for Effectively Implementing New Manufacturing Technology Create an edge by embracing a culture of experimentation, identifying the areas of greatest need and then leaning on employees with experience to teach others. (Source: Industry Week, July 2015) 

INNOVATION, GROWTH AND TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATION 

Attending this introductory session will have you walking away with not just one, but TWO new avenues to move you ahead of your competition!  Technology Scouting allows you to rapidly acquire new technology to solve product and/or process problems. Find out how to search outside of the "normal company channels" box while finding valuable solutions to your specific needs, with real world manufacturing examples. And TDMI (Technology Driven Market Intelligence) allows you to relate to key market opportunities and barriers as they apply to your company needs. 

 
Join us for this inspiring, demonstrative event that will let you see, feel and touch what it's like to be part of a high performance innovation team that can outpace the competition in today's fast changing world.  This event provides an overview of 4 semesters of Innovation Engineering content in just 4 hours!  You will learn Systems that enable speed to market success, turbo changing brainstorming by 700%, Project Management Acceleration and much more!  

Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Announces over $1 Million in Grants to 36 Vermont Businesses and Service Providers VMEC is pleased to announce that our Center is one of the recipients of this WLEI grant opportunity.  In fulfilling our project goals, VMEC will be hosting a special 2-day "Innovation Engineering Experience" on February 16 and 17, 2016 on the Vermont Technical College Randolph campus. Grant funds will be used to help offset the costs for up to 100 participants from 20-30 agricultural and forest products businesses to participate in this special training event. More details will be forthcoming, so look for it in your in box! 

WORKFORCE STRATEGIES AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT 


Six Sigma is a powerful, data-driven process and product quality improvement methodology that focuses on reducing variation and errors. If you have problems such as ongoing customer satisfaction issues, out of control processes, nagging quality problems, or declining process yields, Six Sigma methods will help.  VMEC would like to gauge company interest for an open enrollment Six Sigma Green Belt training session in 2016.   There will be plenty of time allotted during the session for open discussion and Q&A.

VT ExporTech Winter/ Spring 2016  exportechlogo

The dates have been set for Vermont's fourth ExporTech series. Training sessions will take place on January 21, March 3 and April 14, 2016 at The Essex in Essex Junction.  

Why ExporTech? This is THE ONLY national program that can assist you in developing an exporting plan with the opportunity to connect with world-class experts who specialize in the export industry.  This program will help you accelerate profitable export sales, save you many hours of work, and help avoid unnecessary costs and potential headaches. Read here how this unique program can begin or accelerate your exporting goals.   Two FREE webinars are being planned to introduce interested companies to the ExporTech program. Stay tuned for the announcement of these webinar dates! 

RESOURCES FOR VERMONT MANUFACTURERS 

Vermont Business Magazine 5x5x5 Awards September 15 Join sponsors Key Bank, Vermont Business Magazine and VMEC at this annual recognition event for the achievements of the 5 fastest growing businesses, in 5 categories, over the last 5 years in Vermont. Starring Comedian Bob Marley!

Women's Economic Opportunity Conference September 19 Each year this FREE conference, hosted by U. S. Senator Patrick Leahy, his wife Marcelle, plus other co-sponsors including VMEC, draws hundreds of women from throughout the state for a full-day of workshops and inspiring speakers who share their stories of challenge and success. Jane Lindholm, host of Vermont Public Radio's Vermont Edition, will be this year's keynote speaker.  

Manufactured in Vermont September 24 Join the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and VMEC as a Silver Sponsor of the event featuring exhibitors in the industry, network matchmaking, seminars and much more. Stop by Booth #210 and visit us while you're there.  

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.

Climate Change Economy Forums August 26, September 17, October 6  
Join the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) and local business leaders at a series of regional forums on "What's Next for Vermont's Climate Change Economy?" These forums are the next step for public input to the Vermont Climate Change Economy Council, a group working to develop a practical plan to reduce carbon emissions and stimulate economic development in Vermont. 


About VMEC:   Hosted by VT Technical College (VTC) since 1995, VMEC has operated as a not-for-profit with a primary mission, "To help improve and grow manufacturing in Vermont and strengthen the global competitiveness of the state's manufacturers." A local resource and trusted adviser to enterprises of all sizes, The VMEC Team brings world-class expertise in consulting, coaching, hands-on implementation support, training and education for leaders and workers.   

Through the VMEC PSG business unit established in 2006, on a selected basis VMEC also brings its process, strategy and innovation expertise to non-manufacturing business, non-profit, healthcare and government sectors in Vermont.

VMEC provides proven Systems and Solutions focused on Strategies, Processes, Products, Technologies and People. 
     
             vmec@vmec.org  |  (802) 728-1432  | www.vmec.org