Dakota MEP and the North Dakota Department of Commerce is providing North Dakota manufacturers an opportunity to participate in the national 2013 Next Generation Manufacturing (NGM) initiative.
NGM is designed to help manufacturers assess how they are doing in six strategic areas reflective of world-class (Next Generation) manufacturing. The areas include innovation, global engagement, sustainability, supply chain, process improvement and talent development.
Manufacturing executives can participate in Next Generation Manufacturing, by completing a free, quick and confidential online survey – available at www.NGMstudy.com. The survey is available to companies from August 8th through August 29th.
After completing the survey, manufacturers will receive a free Performance Report or “scorecard” that describes how they rank against world-class performance benchmarks. Companies will be able to target improvements where most needed.
“Manufacturing is a vital part of our state’s growing economy, and North Dakota is one of only a handful of states that has seen its manufacturing sector expand in the last decade,” Commerce Commissioner Al Anderson says. “This survey will provide us with valuable insights to strengthen and improve manufacturing performance and competitiveness in North Dakota.”
Randy Schwartz, Dakota MEP CEO, “Manufacturing is our nation’s largest new wealth creator and one of our state’s largest – along with agriculture and energy. The Next Generation Manufacturing initiative is designed to help manufacturers nationally and in North Dakota further develop their competitiveness, performance and profitability.”
The NGM survey is being conducted by the Manufacturing Performance Institute, an independent national research firm in partnership with the American Small Manufacturers Coalition, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, and Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers across the nation.
Dakota MEP (www.dakotamep.com) is an affiliate of the national MEP. In North Dakota, over the past 11 years Dakota MEP has assisted manufacturers in 644 improvement projects. From those improvements, companies have reported $452 million in benefits and impacts and the creation or retention of nearly 2,700 jobs.