WMS Joins Other MEP Centers at Hill Day
Representatives from Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers across the nation gathered in Washington DC for the annual Hill Day presentations on March 8, 2007. Hill Day is an opportunity for MEP centers to meet individually with their congressional delegations – both Senators and Representatives. The purpose of the presentations is to request continued federal support for the centers so they can continue supporting manufacturing in their states.
Equally important, the meetings afford the officeholders a first-hand opportunity to learn about manufacturing activities in their states. A team from Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS) included WMS President John Vicklund and Joseph Heim, Director of Supply Chain Planning and Analysis at Genie Industries of Redmond Washington. During meetings with the nine representatives and two senators, Mr. Heim related the importance of Lean supply chain management to the manufacturing community and how both large and small companies are benefiting from WMS’s broad range of product offerings. The senators and representatives learned that WMS has now worked with over 1,100 manufacturers in the state, assisting them in growing their businesses and adding family wage jobs to their communities. Delegates were also informed about the MEP program nationally and its measurable impacts on Washington manufacturers.
Shortly after Hill Day, as of April 26th, Senate Bill 761, America Competes Act, was passed with an amendment to increase the authorization levels of MEP over the course of four years. The levels of the increases raise the MEP funding from the current level of $106 million per year to $142 million by the year 2011 and matches the appropriation in the recent House Subcommittee marked bill (H.R. 1868).
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