Ten years ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a federal grant to create a non-profit Manufacturing Extension Partnership center in the state of Washington. Named Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS), its mission was to assist the 7000+ manufacturers in the state remain competitive and profitable, and keep manufacturing jobs in Washington.

Exports of goods and services in the United States have doubled in volume every ten years for the past three decades. According to the International Trade Bureau, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 97% of current U.S. export volume.

Negotiating as a vendor with much larger corporations is tricky business and it seems that negotiations are getting more complicated each year as larger companies shift more and more risk to the manufacturers. At times it might even feel as if the deck is stacked against you, and in many ways, it is.

Many company leaders are frustrated with the slow pace of implementation of their continuous improvement programs. They are concerned that they are not seeing the payback they were hoping for.

“Why can’t I find a job?” says a young man with some secondary education, very few skills and little practical experience in the workplace. “Why can’t I find enough skilled workers to produce my products?” states the owner of a small manufacturing firm.