The Competitive Edges
  The Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership                                        July 2014
In This Issue
PSI - Green World... and Bottom Line!
Success Story: Kirsh Foundry
Ideas to Market
Welcome North Region Manufacturing Specialist Peg Dorn
Welcome John Stampen, Director of Marketing
WMEP Sponsors the Made in Dane Pavillion at the In Business Expo & Conference this October
 
 

 
 
Save the Date
Manufacturing Matters!
February 26, 2015
Hyatt Regency 
Milwaukee

Upcoming Events
July 23, Oshkosh
Greetings!

We hope you are having a terrific summer and this note finds your business booming!

 

Our summer is going well and is very busy. These are exciting times. For the first time in many decades, manufacturing is cool! We are engaged with multiple initiatives on the local, state, and federal levels. New technology is changing the face of manufacturing and more people than ever before have a personal interest in our industry's performance. Part of our mission is to keep our friends and stakeholders abreast of the latest developments and help them make sense of the latest trends.

 

The Profitable Sustainability Initiative (PSI) is one example of where we've used our capabilities to help. Sustainability is a growing issue and the PSI engages to make sustainability a driving force in improving operations and profitability. This contrasts with the "Let's save the world" mindset behind most of the other programs. We also want to save the world, but we believe more people will join the effort if it also improves performance.

 

The PSI focuses on Resource Intensity as a way to drive improvement. This is a ratio of resources used to output produced. Resource Intensity allows us to aggressively grow a business while reducing its impact on the environment, rather than just focusing on conservation or resource reduction measures. (You can read more about Resource Intensity in the blog below.)

 

This refined focus drives impact for our clients: over $240 million so far! It is the most successful E3 program in the nation by a factor of ten. The WMEP is measured on impact we achieve for our clients. That places our focus squarely on how we can help you improve your business the most.

 

Enjoy the background on the PSI initiative and its impact on companies like yours. Then connect with us on how our team can help your team achieve more!

 

Thanks for your time and have a blast for the rest of the summer!

 

Buckley Brinkman, Executive Director & CEO, WMEP

PSI - Green World... and Bottom Line!

 

Sustainability can be a terrific way for manufacturers to establish a leadership market position and improve their bottom lines. The Profitable Sustainability Initiative (PSI) refocuses sustainability efforts around a new concept: Resource Intensity. This refocusing helps companies grow as well as reduce their environmental impact. The PSI creates huge impacts and is the best sustainability program in the nation. 

Success Story: Kirsh Foundry

 

As many foundries struggle to survive or have disappeared altogether, Kirsh Foundry in Beaver Dam is going strong and continues to invest in its operations.

 

Kirsh is a manufacturer of high quality, engineered iron castings ranging in size from mere ounces to 60 pounds and in runs from short to production volume.  Kirsh serves many of the country's world-class manufacturers, including Caterpillar, Ingersoll-Rand, John Deere and CNH Global.

Ideas to Market

By John Stampen, Director of Marketing, WMEP

 

"If you can make anything simpler and better - then that's a good thing." - Jacob Stampen

 

The above quote is from my great grandfather, Jacob Stampen, who was a Norwegian immigrant and the Babson Brothers' chief dairy products scientist and developer of the Surge Milking Machine. The quote describes Jacob's philosophy on manufacturing as well as life. He lived at an exciting time for inventors as the industrial revolution was picking up speed and new technologies and resources were rapidly emerging. Jacob started and moved on from several ventures that are still in existence today before working the lion's share of his career for the Babson Brothers in Chicago who, among many other things, were distributors for Edison's phonographs. 

Welcome North Region Manufacturing Specialist Peg Dorn 

 

Peg Dorn's desire to join the staff of the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership as a manufacturing specialist was twofold.

 

"I wanted an opportunity to work exclusively with Wisconsin companies and support the mission of helping small and mid-size manufacturers," Peg said.

 

Peg has more than 15 years experience in food safety and quality, mostly in the dairy industry. She possesses a strong background in infant formula, pharmaceutical grade excipients, and other dairy products.

Welcome John Stampen, Director of Marketing

 

John Stampen, the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership's director of marketing, describes working for an organization that makes meaningful contributions to growing the state's manufacturing base and overall economy as a "dream scenario."

 

"I was attracted by the opportunity to be a part of a team that is working to grow and improve manufacturing in Wisconsin," John said. "Manufacturing is at the core of the state's economy and has a multiplier effect unlike any other sector." 

 

John's goal is to help manufacturers find the resources they need to take their organizations to the next level. 

WMEP Sponsors the Made in Dane Pavillion at the In Business Expo & Conference this October

 

WMEP is proud to sponsor the Made in Dane Pavilion at the In Business Expo & Conference on October, 22. This special exhibit zone is created exclusively for local manufacturers to showcase their innovative products and highlight their contributions to Dane County's robust manufacturing industry.

 

In addition to the Made in Dane Pavilion, the In Business Expo & Conference features over 120 business exhibitors from around the Madison region, over 1,300 attendees, eight business seminars, three awards programs, and a thought-provoking keynote presentation by Chicago-based marketing expert Jim Signorelli: "If You Have a Birth Certificate, You Are a Brand."

 

The Made in Dane Pavilion is limited to the first nine exhibitors at a special rate of just $500 (compared to the standard booth rate of $975). Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions regarding exhibit opportunities or if you would like to secure your spot in this special exhibit zone.

 

Visit MadisonBusinessExpo.com for more information.