MEP Centers Share Success

As the MEP SCO team continues to provide ‘show and do’ models for public and one-on-one client sessions, we aim to share what’s working for Centers around the country.

We asked Centers in Michigan (Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center), Tennessee (University of Tennessee-Center for Industrial Services) and Missouri (Missouri Enterprise) to provide feedback on their recent events. Just like the program is customizable, Centers are incorporating the components that complement their suite of services for the benefit of their manufacturers.

Plymouth was the location for the MEP SCO Leadership Overview on November 5. It was well attended with 22 attendees from 13 area manufacturers, including those with roles in materials, purchasing, logistics, operations, and leadership.

MMTC’s Robert Lyscas, VP of Manufacturing Services, points to SCO as a critical offering. “Fluctuating gas prices, transportation cost, capacity constraints, security, along with social and environmental concerns make successful strategic partnerships locally, nationally and globally very important to Michigan manufacturers,” said Lyscas.

“Additionally, supply chain optimization is, and will be a key strategy in the success and growth of a business that can align partnerships that create innovative ideas in producing cost effective products that meets customer demand,” Lyscas continued.

Feedback from participants was positive. Evaluations demonstrated that he information provided from the presentation exceeded expectations. More than half of the attendees expressed interest in attending upcoming sessions on Total Cost of Ownership and Risk Management.

On November 17th, the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services held a SCO for Centers event for 12 UTCIS field staff and resource partners, in Nashville.

When asked about why the Center feels supply chain optimization is an important tool for clients, Dwaine Raper, Solutions Consultant, said, “Companies need plans to prepare for how to handle supply disruption, and protecting continued supply to their customer without holding excess inventory (which is as costly as it is risky).”

When asked, how the event went, Raper continued, “It went well. The program and its components are really good. John Remsey* does a great job of presenting and discussing the material/concepts.”

*John Remsey, of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) is one of the lead MEP SCO team members. Want to meet the team?

What’s next for UTCIS? They are working with the MEP SCO team to schedule a Leadership Overview in January with Risk Management and Total Cost of Ownership in the February/March timeframe.

Attendees participate in the simulation exercise, modeled after the MIT Beer Game, as part of Missouri Enterprise’s SCO Leadership Overview.

On November 19th, Missouri Enterprise hosted 6 unique companies with 10 attendees, in Springfield.

Often Centers use the Leadership Overview to gauge interest in additional SCO tools and sessions. In Missouri’s case, one client has been identified as a potential candidate for the Executive Engagement session, which provides Centers an opportunity to tie-in traditional MEP services that complement supply chain performance initiatives.

An additional client expressed interest in the program’s Risk Management offering. Missouri is particularly interested in leveraging the Risk Management aspect, in light of the upcoming ISO 9001:2015 Revision. By helping clients to incorporate a risk management plan, the Center is poised help clients navigate the multiple risk components of the standard. Their hope is to convert the MEP SCO session into on-site delivery services.

See our blog post: Things Could Get Risky for more information on the ISO 9001:2015 Revision