The Manufacturing Alliance Is Here For You As A Hub of Resources
The value of the Manufacturing Alliance of Bucks & Montgomery Counties, for all of us, needs to be, first and foremost, a resource to members as a “trusted advisor”. We, as manufacturers have neglected our future by allowing the old “dirty, dark, dangerous” stigma attached to manufacturing to persist. As a result, we have fewer bright, young people entering the manufacturing workforce than is needed in order for the industry to be viable in the years to come. No joke, the situation is now dire, but there are enlightened people out there that can be our champions among their peers. The government has begun to take an enlightened position – through new programs and grants, and the creation of many programs that have been in existence for a long time – to help manufacturers. I think most of us are unaware of the resources that exist for our benefit – many are funded through state and local tax dollars that we already pay for, but never take advantage of.
This is where we want the MA to come in. We want the Alliance to first, and always, be a hub of resources for all of us.
Hub for:
- Finding funding
- Finding real estate
- Finding people
- Resume pool for potential employees
- Connections to technical schools, and Community Colleges that have manufacturing programs
- Connections to High Schools for Internships
- Connections to local higher Ed for Co-Op and Internships
- Training resources
- Technical training for manufacturing jobs
- Ongoing leadership/management training for
employees - Pre-employment screening
- Aptitude and Cultural assessment testing
- Gateway to business consulting and turnaround services
- Single point access to service providers addressing;
- HR
- Lean
- Marketing
- Training
- Accounting/Financial
- IT
- Etc…
- Business development
- Database of local sources for goods or services – “look local first”
- Service providers for sales and marketing opportunities
- Networking
- Connections with trade associations
Though many of our businesses have a more national or international focus, it is extremely important that we weave the fabric of our local manufacturers, schools, service providers and governmental agencies tightly. We need to be a part of our communities, and we need to be strong – even if our products are being sold across the globe – because it is those around us, near to us, that we will depend on to help us through the hard times and we to help them in turn. We are leaving the time behind that we, as small or mid-size manufacturers can go it alone. We need to wake up and smell the coffee that we need to connect at a higher level with those around us more than we ever have before. It is a symbiotic, synergistic relationship that exists between our manufacturing businesses and our local communities – for too long too many of us have neglected this relationship, too caught up in our own worlds to notice our ties to something that is bigger.
The Manufacturing Alliance is the embodiment of this connection. It exists to be the meeting place for all players – manufacturers, employees, service providers, governmental agencies, schools, educators and students to come together and share resources and uncover opportunities. Whatever else the Alliance grows, or evolves to be, it needs to be this at its core.
We have presented the list of resources that we feel are of the greatest importance to the manufacturers in our area, but this list has only been generated from a handful of companies. We want to hear from you. This is an organization that has been created by the manufacturers, for the manufacturers. We want to…we need to….know what is important to you personally so we can make the Manufacturing Alliance an organization that will best meet the needs of the members that it serves. For more information contact Anthony Newberry, Alliance Coordinator anewberry@bc-wib.org.
The article was written by John Shegda, Meron Medical, 377 Nina Way, Warminster, PA 18974-2826, www.meronmedical.com. jshegda@meronmedical.com, 215-441-9200