Michigan Business Owners Fight to Save Manufacturing Program

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Mr. Chris Morin, President of Noble International in Warren, MI, and Mr. Jay Dunwell, President of Wolverine Coil Spring in Grand Rapids, MI, will be part of a group of over one hundred representatives from small and mid-sized manufacturing companies who will meet in our nation's capitol on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 18 and 19, according to the Modernization Forum.

Joined by representatives of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC), Mr. Morin and Mr. Dunwell will meet with each of the members of Michigan's Congressional delegation to tell them about the benefits their companies have achieved as a result of work they completed with the assistance of the MMTC.

"The MMTC training allowed our employees to be the customer, giving them an opportunity to voice suggestions for improvement and then see them implemented," states Chris Morin of Noble. Jay Dunwell of Wolverine Coil Spring added that, "MMTC is truly a one-stop resource for smaller manufacturers, allowing us to network with other companies."

Noble and Wolverine are just two of the hundreds of companies the MMTC has assisted since its inception in 1991. MMTC is a federal, state and privately funded partnership with a mission to improve the performance of Michigan's smaller manufacturing companies through assessments, training and technical assistance. Currently, MMTC receives $2.25 million in federal funding, which is a little less than a third of the center's overall budget. MMTC also receives funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and from fees paid by clients who utilize the center's assessment, training and technical assistance services.

The Bush Administration has proposed drastic funding cuts to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) -- the federal program that funds centers like MMTC across the country and in Puerto Rico. For the second year in a row, the Administration's budget proposes cutting funding for the MEP program by over 88-percent. Congress restored funding for the program to $106.6 million in the recently completed FY 2003 Omnibus Appropriations legislation. President Bush asked for just $12.6 million for the program in FY2004.

The majority of the Michigan congressional delegation supports full funding for the MEP program in FY2004. Last year, Representatives Ehlers, Barcia, Knollenberg and Kilpatrick were particularly helpful in reinstating funding for the MEP program. Representatives Hoekstra, Stupak, Camp, Kildee, Upton, Rogers, Levin, Conyers, and Dingell and Senators Levin and Stabenow were also strong supporters of the MEP program.

Representative Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), Chair of the House Science Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards will address the group of manufacturers and MEP center representatives from across the country. In all, the group will meet with delegations from 39 states and Puerto Rico.

Headquartered in Plymouth, the MMTC also has five affiliate offices around the state (in Grand Rapids, Flint, Saginaw, Traverse City and Marquette) to serve Michigan's 15,340 smaller manufacturers.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership helps the nation's 349,842 smaller manufacturers improve their productivity and competitiveness. The MEP network consists of over 2,000 professionals working in some 400 offices in all fifty states and Puerto Rico.