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Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) Receives Full Federal Funding for FY 2006

With the passage of H.R. 2862, the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership received $106 million in federal funding for fiscal year 2006. The appropriation provides level funding but represents a significant increase above the administration-proposed budget of $46.8 million.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center http://www.mtmanufacturingcenter.com/ (MMEC) federal partner. The network is made up of 59 centers, with nearly 400 locations across the country and in Puerto Rico to provide technical assistance and business support services to America’s small manufacturers. The public/private program, which serves roughly 14,000 businesses annually, has helped manufacturers create or retain more than 50,000 jobs nationally, create or retain over $4.1 billion in sales, generate more than $686 million in cost savings, and invest more than $912 million in modernization in fiscal year 2003 alone. Montana’s MEP currently has the second highest rating among the 59 centers for leveraging client investment. This rating is collected from independent survey data on MEP client projects one year after completion.

Montana’s Congressional delegation, Sens. Max Baucus and Conrad Burns, and Rep. Denny Rehberg continue to be strong supporters of MMEC and the MEP program. A record number, 243 House members and 62 Senators, signed support letters to the budget appropriators to maintain full funding.

Steve Holland, MMEC Director, noted the important role of the MEP program funding in ensuring that the assistance is available to smaller manufacturers, especially those located in harder to serve rural states and communities. MMEC, a statewide outreach center in the Montana State University College of Engineering, will receive approximately $512,000 to support outreach and staffing at its six field office locations. State funds and fees for services paid by manufacturers comprise much of the remainder of the MMEC budget.

"The challenges before Montana manufacturers are immense" said Holland. "Federal funding is the foundation to ensure that manufacturers will have access to resources to help them be more successful and competitive in a global economy. Congress is to be commended for recognizing the important role manufacturing plays in raising the standard of living in this country."

Mike Coast, Chairman of The American Small Manufacturers Coalition (ASMC), the trade association of NIST MEP Centers "The fiscal year 2006 appropriation will allow the NIST MEP program to continue to serve the thousands of the nation’s manufacturers that contribute to maintaining and improving this nation’s economic vitality. ASMC and its members greatly appreciate the tremendous Congressional support for the MEP program and hope that together, ASMC, MEP and Congress can work to restore and enhance the U.S.-based manufacturing community in the future."

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