Hardware Podcasts

BONUS: MEPs are at Risk of Losing Funding and Need Your Help

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 21 Apr 2025 · 41m

What this episode covers

Host Chris Luecke introduces a bonus episode featuring Paul Van Meter, Nick Golner, and Mike Payne from Making Chips, Megan Zimba from Mavens of Manufacturing, and Jim Mayer from Manufacturing Culture discussing the defunding of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). The guests share specific examples of how MEPs like Impact Washington, the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (iMEC) helped their businesses with automation grants, cybersecurity compliance, and workforce development. They outline a call to action for manufacturers to contact their congressional delegations and share their success stories using the #MEPMatters hashtag to prevent further cuts to the network.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Also
Manufacturing Extension Partnership, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Impact Washington, Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center, Making Chips, Mavens of Manufacturing, Manufacturing Culture, AS 9100, CMMC

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Lights Out · 35m

    The Quiet Cut That's Loudly Threatening Small Manufacturing

    Paul, Nick, Mike, Jim, and Megan discuss the imminent defunding of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) network by NIST, a public-private partnership that supports small manufacturers. The guests share specific success stories, such as Mike’s shop gaining $1 million in revenue through automation analysis and Nick’s company securing a grant for an AR-based digital configurator. They urge listeners to contact their congressional representatives and share their own MEP impact stories to prevent the loss of this critical resource for the U.S. manufacturing base.

    Policy, trade & tariffsHiring & workforce
    7 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 37m

    Defunding of the MEPs and How YOU Can Help Stop It: A Special Episode

    Paul Van Metre of ProShop ERP, Nick Goellner of Advanced Machine & Engineering, Meaghan Ziemba of Mavens of Manufacturing, Mike Payne of Hill Manufacturing, and Jim Mayer of The Manufacturing Connector discuss the critical threat of defunding the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEPs). They highlight how these public-private partnerships support tens of thousands of small manufacturers through grants, training, and technology adoption, with specific examples from Hill Manufacturing and Advanced Machine & Engineering. The panel urges the manufacturing community to take immediate action by contacting congressional delegations, sharing personal success stories via video tools like VideoAsk, and participating in grassroots advocacy to prevent the elimination of these vital resources.

    Policy, trade & tariffsManufacturing partners & offshoring
    8 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive

    MEP Impact: Empowering Small Manufacturers with Training, Partnerships and Advocacy w/ Pete Connolly

    Pete Connolly, CEO of the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP), explains how the MEP network supports small and mid-sized manufacturers through workforce development, lean manufacturing, and supply chain resilience. He details the 'Future Makers and Creators' mobile training RV program that introduces high school students to modern manufacturing careers and discusses the critical challenges of tariffs and offshoring pharmaceuticals. Connolly also provides an update on the MEP network's recent survival of federal defunding threats and highlights a success story with Mac Products, which gained $3 million in new sales through MEP-led data analysis.

    Hiring & workforcePolicy, trade & tariffs
    8 chapters

  • Lights Out · 52m

    Inside Conexus Indiana: The Industry Network Driving Manufacturing Tech and Talent | Ep. 46

    Bryce Carpenter, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating and Strategy Officer at Conexus Indiana, explains how this industry-led nonprofit facilitates collaboration among 126 manufacturing, logistics, academic, and public sector partners to drive workforce development and technology adoption. He details the evolution of the industry from viewing automation as an enemy to embracing it as a necessity, highlighting a specific case where automating hated palletizing jobs improved retention. The episode also covers the Manufacturing Readiness Grants program, which has supported over 700 small and midsize shops, and success stories like FiberX and Arcamed, illustrating how strategic peer learning and targeted investments accelerate growth.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringScaling production
    10 chapters

  • Lights Out · 48m

    Automation 101 with Chris Luecke Manufacturing Happy Hour, Ep #2

    Chris Luecke, host of the Manufacturing Happy Hour podcast and sales engineer in the automation space, joins Nick Golner and Jason Zanger of MakingChips to discuss 'Automation 101' for machine shops. They cover the shift from large capital projects to accessible, subscription-based automation models, the critical need for stable processes before automating, and the importance of IT/OT convergence and cybersecurity baselines for small to mid-sized manufacturers.

    Scaling productionHiring & workforce
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Manufacturing Happy Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.