Conference Sponsor Profile: The Manufacturing Extension Partnership
     The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a nationwide network of not-for-profit      Centers in over 400 locations nationwide, whose sole purpose is to provide      the more than 361,000 small and medium-sized manufacturers in the country      the help they need to succeed in a global economy. The Centers, serving all      50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are linked together through      the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology      – making it possible for even the smallest firms to tap into the expertise      of knowledgeable manufacturing and business specialists all over the U.S. 
    
    Since its founding, MEP has worked with more than 107,000 manufacturing firms,      achieving impressive results for its clients: $996 million in increased revenues,      $195 million in cost savings, and $360 million in modernization investment. 
    
    The centers help manufacturers with such issues as process improvement; quality      management systems; business management systems; human resource development;      market development; materials engineering; plant layout; product development;      energy audits; environmental studies; financial planning; CAD/CAM/CAE; and      electronic commerce/EDI. 
     
    More information on the Manufacturing Extension Partnership — a gold sponsor      hosting an exhibit at SSTI's annual conference Sept. 20-21, 2001 — may be      obtained by visiting http://www.mep.nist.gov

