Funding is provided through the MEP program, which has helped save and create manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Herb Kohl today announced that the Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing and Productivity, Inc. in Madison has been awarded $215,991 through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program.   The MEP program operates centers across the country that partner with small and mid-sized manufacturers to provide technical assistance and business consultation that allows them to cut production costs, improve productivity and retain and create jobs. 

“Our MEP centers have been a valuable ally to Wisconsin’s manufacturers,” Kohl said. “We have seen these federal investments translated directly into technology and training that benefit our state’s employers.”

Last year, Kohl led a bipartisan effort to include $129.7 million for the MEP program as part of the Senate’s FY2011 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill.  Additionally, Kohl’s provisions increasing the authorization for the MEP were included in the bipartisan America COMPETES Reauthorization Act which was signed into law in January, 2011.

                This week, President Obama released his FY2012 budget, which included $142.6 million for the MEP.  In his budget, the President noted that  the increased funding for the MEP would enhance the competitiveness and innovation of American manufacturers.

Kohl has long championed the MEP program for its success in ensuring major Wisconsin employers can remain competitive. Wisconsin is home to two MEP Centers.  According to the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership, companies that worked with the two centers in the past year were able to save or create more than 1,400 jobs, generate $116 million in sales, make $35 million in new investments, and generate nearly $27 million in cost savings.

MEP centers help employers upgrade their technology, streamline production processes, eliminate cost inefficiencies and train workers to adapt to evolving technologies.