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<h1 class="nist-page__title">The NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership: Improving the Technological Capability, Productivity and Competitiveness of Smaller Manufacturers</h1>
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<div class="datetime"><time datetime="1998-03-11T12:00:00Z">March 11, 1998</time>
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<p>More than two centuries ago, Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the U.S. Treasury, wrote that "not only the wealth, but the independence and security of a Country, appear to be materially connected with the prosperity of manufacturers." In 1791, when Hamilton wrote these word in his Report on Manufactures, the United States was an agricultural economy. His recommendations to build a strong manufacturing base and, in Hamilton's view, to fill a gaping hole of opportunity were largely dismissed.</p><p>History nearly repeated itself almost 200 years later. During the 1970s and early 1980s, many people were predicting that the United States was evolving toward a full-service economy, one rid of factories and assembly-line jobs. To these prognosticators, the anticipated extinction of U.S. manufacturing would be the welcome result of a natural economic progression. It took a sustained series of competitive challenges and plant closings in communities across the United States to expose the folly of this thinking. Today, I believe, the United States—along with much of the rest of the world—is reasserting manufacturing's fundamental importance to a nation's economy, its quality of life, and its security.</p><p>In my nation, this fuller appreciation of manufacturing as an engine of national prosperity grew out of the introspection and analysis that occurred during the 1980s and early 1990s. The health of many of U.S. manufacturing industries became a matter of great concern in both the public and private sectors and at all levels of government—federal, state, and local. Numerous studies called attention, in particular, to the declining competitiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. These companies make up the bulk of the nation's base of suppliers and they generate the great majority of new manufacturing jobs. Yet, as a study by the U.S. National Research Council reported, "Many of these small firms ... are operating far below their potential. Their use of modern manufacturing equipment, methodologies, and management practices is inadequate to ensure that American manufacturing will be globally competitive."</p><p>One result of assessments such as this one was the eventual creation of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a program in the U.S. Department of Commerce. The MEP is a nationwide network of extension, or outreach, centers that provide technology and business services to smaller manufacturers aiming to improve their performance and modernize their operations.</p><p>Manufacturing extension represents a variation on an earlier theme in U.S. technology policy. In 1867, when agriculture was the mainstay of the U.S. economy, federal funding was provided to establish in each state a college devoted to agriculture and the "mechanical arts." In 1914, this higher-education system was leveraged to benefit U.S. farmers. A state-based, federally coordinated extension service was created to disseminate the results of university research and to adapt these results to the needs and conditions of local farming sectors.</p><p>Since the end of World War II, federal investments in science and technology had been confined to fostering innovation in areas aligned with governmental missions, especially defense, and to supporting basic research. In contrast, manufacturing extension focuses principally on deployment—the diffusion and effective application of existing technologies.</p><p>This paper traces the evolution of the MEP network, describes its operation, reviews the program's performance to date, and concludes with a brief discussion of several technology issues that have the potential to significantly influence the future performance and competitiveness of smaller and medium-sized manufacturers in all nations.</p><h3>From Pilot Program to Nationwide Network</h3><p>Manufacturing extension efforts originated in a handful of states, some dating back to the 1950s. Federal involvement was initiated in 1989, with the creation of three manufacturing technology centers. By 1992, the pilot
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<p>Dr. Robert E. Hebner<br>Acting Deputy Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce</p>
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Created October 16, 2009, Updated October 25, 2016
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