The Value Stream

We recently published a blog post and online survey sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), through the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) to examine the quality, market value, and effectiveness of manufacturing credentials.  Thank you for participating! The study, conducted in partnership with Workcred,…

National Manufacturing Day was bigger than ever this year, drawing thousands of manufacturers to open their doors to students and the public across the United States. The goal? Show modern manufacturing in action to inspire students into manufacturing careers. Oregon has a long history of Manufacturing Day celebrations and this…

This year Oregon enacted multiple new employment laws that will affect Oregon manufacturers, including overtime pay regulations and pay equity. To help employers sort through the new laws, Vigilant employment attorneys recently hosted a webinar to discuss the 2017 legislation changes. Vigilant attorneys Karen Davis and Diane Buisman offer…

October 6, 2017, marks the seventh annual National Manufacturing Day (MFG Day). In 2011 this national holiday was designed to expand knowledge about and improve public perception of manufacturing careers and manufacturing’s value to the U.S. economy. To celebrate, companies and organizations around the U.S. have ‘joined the movement’ and created…

Foreign Markets Represent a Huge Potential for Oregon’s Products Did you know that Oregon’s total exports grew by 8.3% just in the last year, to $21.7 billion? The growth came largely from countries in the Asia Pacific. For example, Oregon’s exports to China grew by 21 % in 2016, reaching…

On September 7, 2017, Equifax reported a data breach that occurred between mid-May and July. In terms of pure numbers—it reportedly affects 143 million consumers—this isn’t the largest data breach; however, due to the data content that was lost, it’s being reported as the most damaging breach. The data that…

In three of the last four years, the number of national manufacturing establishments grew according to the U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns, which may be a surprising but welcomed trend. As NIST MEP regional managers, we examined this trend as it related to the Pacific Northwest region and in…

Communication challenges, differences in perspective, and variations of approach to achieve tasks is inevitable and natural. After all, we’re human and with humanity comes diversity and uniqueness. It’s a great thing when our uniqueness brings breadth and depth of ideas, innovation, and solutions.  On the other hand, when not understood…

During my time as a consultant at OMEP, I partnered with many successful manufacturers over the years. While their products and industry sectors varied, the determination shown by each business leader to continually improve required the same level of dedication and commitment. Manufacturing is a challenging industry, but these men…

This is a guest blog post by OMEP sponsors Schwabe Williamson and Wyatt. Sometimes it helps to simplify a complicated concept by looking at it through the eyes of a child. The other day as I was thinking about this article, I jokingly asked my six-year-old son what he thought…