MILWAUKEE – Roxanne Baumann will discuss strategies for manufacturers to compete and win with U.S. suppliers at the Feb. 7 meeting of the Milwaukee World Trade Association.
Baumann’s presentation will be held at 7 p.m. following dinner and networking at the Radisson Hotel, 2303 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa. Cost is $25 per person; for more information or to register, call Michele McFarland at 414-287-4141.
Baumann is director of the OEM Initiative of the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP), which provides tools and expertise to help state manufacturers grow and succeed. Baumann received the U.S. Department of Commerce NIST MEP Innovator of the Year award in 2006 for her work on WMEP’s Accelerate initiative, a national model to strengthen domestic supply chains.
“Wisconsin suppliers who are lean, fast and flexible have a competitive advantage over low-cost offshore competitors,” Baumann said.
In her presentation, Baumann will discuss the wide range of issues confronting original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as they develop global supply chains. “Many large manufacturers are finding the allure of a lower piece part from an offshore firm needs to be weighed against many other issues, including longer lead times, less flexibility, quality, disruptions in supply chains, port gridlock and other hidden costs,” Baumann said.
WMEP’s Accelerate is a collaborative approach between suppliers and OEMs to speed up the process of producing goods and help U.S. suppliers gain a competitive advantage. More than 100 suppliers have reported an average reduction of 50% in Manufacturing Critical Path Time (MCT), a key metric used to determine “lean-ness.” To date, WMEP has completed more than 250 projects with suppliers for 16 major OEMs and rolled out the concept to Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers in 18 states.
ABOUT WMEP
WMEP is a private, nonprofit organization committed to the growth and success of Wisconsin manufacturers. Since 1996, WMEP’s experts have helped more than 2,500 small and midsize manufacturers improve profitability and productivity. WMEP is a leader in lean manufacturing, growth services, strategic business planning, quality systems and supplier development. During the past five years, WMEP-assisted manufacturers reported economic impact of $839 million with more than 8,000 jobs created/retained. WMEP receives financial support from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, and partners with many public and private organizations to serve Wisconsin manufacturers. For more information, visit www.wmep.org or call 1-877-856-8588.
