{"525991":{"#nid":"525991","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia MEP Helps Manufacturers Compete and Grow","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe challenge was clear enough for John Anker. He wanted to increase operational efficiencies in his company, AnkerPak, the manufacturing and packaging company he founded in 2004, based in Columbus, Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re a young company and costs are critical,\u201d he said. Competing against other manufacturing and packaging companies, particularly from Mexico and China, adds even more pressure, he added. \u201cWe\u2019re always looking for ways to reduce our costs, increase efficiency, and implement strategies that result in a real and meaningful monetary tangible return, and I think that\u2019s most important to a young company, tangible returns such as cash flow.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo Anker did what most executives in his situation would do: Seek the advice of an outside consultant. The first organization he worked with was a firm based in Chicago, but it wasn\u2019t exactly a good fit. Sharing his situation with fellow entrepreneurial CEOs in Columbus, he asked for recommendations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI said, \u2018Who have you used that showed they cared about your business and gave you a good result,\u2019 \u201d Anker recounted. \u201cSomebody in that peer group said, \u2018You really ought to talk to Derek Woodham at Georgia Tech.\u2019 \u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWoodham serves West Georgia as a region manager for the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gamep.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP)\u003C\/a\u003E. A federally funded program of Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.innovate.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, GaMEP is part of the National MEP network and is supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaMEP\u2019s mission since it was established at Georgia Tech in 1960: To be a resource and partner available to help manufacturers across Georgia, said Karen Fite, GaMEP\u2019s director. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia is home to about 7,300 manufacturers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur goal is to be able to help them grow and remain competitive,\u201d Fite said. \u201cFor us, that means we want to meet them where they are, we want to understand what their current needs are, and we also want to help them look beyond their immediate challenge in order to think strategically not only about operational excellence, but organizational excellence.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EManufacturing is an important component of Georgia\u2019s economy; in fact, it\u2019s the second-largest private business industry after agribusiness. Manufacturing employs 365,000 people across the state and accounts for about 11 percent of Georgia\u2019s $493 billion economy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERead the complete feature on the Research Horizons website\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia MEP\u0027s mission is to be a resource and partner available to help manufacturers across Georgia. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia is home to about 7,300 manufacturers.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Georgia MEP helps manufacturers grow and remain competitive."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2016-04-17 21:52:21","changed_gmt":"2022-05-26 17:09:36","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-04-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-04-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"139","name":"Business"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"15349","name":"Georgia MEP"},{"id":"215","name":"manufacturing"},{"id":"79661","name":"MEP"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon - Research News\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}