Credit: iStock/Dmitriy83

By: G. Nagesh Rao
 

It’s no secret: I love Legos. When I was a child growing up in upstate New York, Legos (along with comic books, action figures, and my creative imagination) were my constant companions and sources of inspiration – just like my hardworking, entrepreneurial immigrant parents and friends from all walks of life.

The simplicity and elegance of Lego-building makes sense to me. Like the Universe before us, you start with a box of distinct parts, each with its own role, all dependent on one another to build a successful whole. With a plan, you put the pieces together to make a vision become reality. If even one part is missing or misplaced, the vision won’t come to life. As Aristotle famously opined, “The whole of the body is always greater than the sum of its parts.”

As 2024 concludes, I’ve been reflecting on how our team at the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) has successfully connected its distinct parts – communications, funding, and partnerships – to deliver meaningful results for small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) across the country. We did so while focusing on the three pillars of the 2023-2027 strategic plan: mitigating supply chain vulnerabilities, leveraging innovation and technology, and narrowing the workforce gap.

Our people are our strength

At the core of any institution are the people. The MEP ends 2024 with a 98% occupancy rate, a notable feat for any organization. I am proud to say that we are stronger than ever thanks to the dedication and diversity of our team members. Our staff’s varied educational backgrounds, skills, and life experiences give them the perspective needed to help solve some of the complex challenges facing manufacturing in America. They are committed to our mission of strengthening the global competitiveness of our nation’s manufacturers, and they make me proud every day to be their leader. 

In 2024, we revamped the MEP Center Leadership Team (CLT) to ensure holistic representation of all regions and types of manufacturing support centers. This new CLT starts its work in January 2025. We also recruited three new stellar leaders to the MEP Advisory Board (MAB): Candice Smith, Winston Chang, and Dr. Jermaine Ford. The MAB provides wise counsel to enable the MEP to reach our “North Star” for America’s manufacturing ecosystem: where making and building here is not solely for economic or national security prowess but also because we design, create, innovate, and build the best products in the world.   

Delivering outcomes

In 2024, MEP Centers supported nearly 13,000 clients while completing more than 22,000 projects that helped American manufacturers. This magnificent accomplishment is a testament to the dedicated partners across the MEP National Network (MEPNN).

Throughout the year, the MEPNN made significant strides toward the goals of its 2023-2027 strategic plan. A highlight was the one-year anniversary of the Supply Chain Optimization and Intelligence Network (SCOIN) pilot program on June 1, 2024. Authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, NIST MEP awarded $20 million in SCOIN funding to MEP Centers in each state and Puerto Rico. These investments, paired with the hard work of staff throughout the MEPNN, have strengthened our supplier scouting service – helping companies identify domestic suppliers and reduce supply chain vulnerabilities. We look forward to collaborating with the incoming Administration on how best to build on the MEP program’s supply chain investments to make our country more resilient and self-reliant. 

On the technology and workforce fronts, we awarded $15.7 million in NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program (CAP) funds in 2024. This is one of NIST MEP’s most effective tools to support MEP Centers’ innovative, tailored solutions to local and regional manufacturing challenges. Notable examples include:

• Kansas Manufacturing Solutions (Kansas MEP) and the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance (Oklahoma MEP) received separate CAP awards to support workforce development for underrepresented populations. These projects provide opportunities to fill high-demand manufacturing positions.
• Polaris MEP (Rhode Island MEP) and Oregon MEP’s CAP projects are building out MEP Center consortium efforts enabling SMMs throughout the U.S. to adopt advanced manufacturing technologies such as AI, robotics, augmented reality, and workforce transformation tools.
• New Jersey MEP along with its MEP Center partners are enhancing supply chain capacity in the defense industrial base and alternative energy sectors with CAP funding.

Partnerships drive success

2024 was also a year of deepening partnerships that benefit the entire MEPNN. In November, NIST MEP and the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), part of the Manufacturing USA network, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU enables both organizations to expand resources, educational opportunities, and cutting-edge technologies that foster increased manufacturing, energy, and worker productivity. The MOU also waives basic membership fees to CESMII for all 51 MEP Centers.

Additionally, we signed MOUs with several key federal partners, including the Department of Transportation and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The latter MOU will enable MEP and USPTO to provide training and technical support to SMMs planning to engage in intellectual property opportunities for the manufacturing sector. In 2025, we will co-sponsor training events to support a resilient and robust manufacturing sector.

Communications and outreach initiatives

Our communications efforts also made an impact. Themed “#SeeYourselfInMFG,” this year’s Manufacturing Day was the most successful in recent memory. Senior NIST MEP staff traveled to MEP Centers in every part of the country to celebrate modern manufacturing success stories. This unified effort led to increased brand recognition for the MEPNN – to the benefit of all MEP Centers, large and small.

In addition, NIST MEP undertook an agencywide effort to overhaul and relaunch the website www.manufacturing.gov. In fewer than 60 days, we transformed an outdated site into a user-friendly platform where manufacturers can easily find government funding and program opportunities. In early 2025, NIST MEP will conduct focus group tests to ensure it meets the needs of manufacturers nationwide. Stay tuned.

Looking back and looking ahead

As we approach the end of 2024, I am proud of how the pieces have come together – from hiring top talent to building partnerships and supporting innovative projects nationwide. As a symbol of these achievements, I was honored to deliver the inaugural NIST MEP Director/Deputy Director’s Challenge Coin to the MEPNN. In mid-Summer 2024, we held a contest for NIST MEP staff to design the coin. The winner, which was designed by Katie Rapp of our Outreach and External Affairs Division, symbolizes the strength, collaboration, and problem-solving mindset of our Network while highlighting the “North Star” we endeavor to reach in the time ahead.

I am grateful for all we have accomplished together during my tenure as acting director. As anyone will tell you, I am fond of recounting the well-known African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” We have gone far over this past year. I look forward to achieving more milestones together to increase the collective good of our nation’s manufacturers as we build on the great body of work behind us…36+ years strong.  

On behalf of the entire NIST MEP team, I wish you all a wonderful and blessed holiday season ahead.

Blog originally appeared here.