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The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) is a non-profit organization, founded in 1991, that provides consultation and training for small- to mid-sized manufacturing companies in Michigan. MMTC is an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through their Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (HMEP) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). MMTC receives 30-35% of its funding from the State Government, 20-30% from the federal government and 40-45% from client fees for service

The MMTC is the pilot center for the new Department of Commerce CommerceConnect program which is designed to be “a single point of contact where businesses can access the full array of Commerce programs available to them." United States Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke visited the MMTC headquarters in early October 2009 for the official opening of the program. As part of its goal to help manufacturers in Michigan, the MMTC periodically visits Lansing and Washington to represent manufacturers to the local and federal government. As published in the June 2007 edition of ManufactLINE: "Maintaining dialogue with Washington and Lansing is an important part of MMTC’s mission. As the MEP center in Michigan, MMTC is, in many ways, a voice for Michigan’s small and midsize manufacturers. We will continue to communicate with Michigan’s federal and state elected officials to inform them and advocate for their strong support."

Market Diversification:
The MMTC’s Market Diversification training program focuses on supplying manufacturers with the tools they need to expand their customer base to avoid relying on just one customer or industry for all of their business. Diversification, along with education and lower government costs, is one of the top three areas that Michigan's governor, Jennifer Granholm, has identified as most important for the state.

LEAN:
Lean Manufacturing is a well known process improvement technique dedicated to eliminating waste. The MMTC offers a training program that includes:
 * Lean Office
 * Lean Manufacturing
 * Lean Healthcare
 * Lean Sigma - a combination of Lean and Six Sigma programs.

In 2006, the MMTC, the MEDC and several area hospitals completed the pilot program to teach Lean and Six Sigma practices to the healthcare community. The program was the result of a $300,000 Economic Development Job Training grant from the MEDC. As MEDC President and CEO James C. Epolito said in an article published on their website www.michigan.org, “Keeping healthcare costs down is key to building a strong economy for the 21st century. Applying lean manufacturing methods to hospital operations is a smart way to curb the cost to the client and healthcare provider alike.”

Six Sigma:
The MMTC offers training programs for certification in Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt as well as mentoring. Six Sigma is a method for process improvement developed in Japan through the influence of the American statistician W. Edwards Deming who was part of the post World War II effort to industrialize Japan. This program focuses on reducing the production of defect to be within a statistical range. After its inception in Japan, Six Sigma spread to the United States in companies such as General Electric, Xerox and Motorola. The MMTC offers a program to teach manufacturers how to implement Six Sigma in their processes.

Web Development:
The web development program is part of the Growth Services department of the MMTC. Through this service, a client can choose to build a new website, redesign an existing website or improve the content of the site for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Costing:
The MMTC’s Costing program helps clients to evaluate their current system for determining the cost of their products or services and then implement any necessary changes for improved cost management. They use a combination of Value Stream Mapping and Activity Based Costing to come up with a program called Value Stream Costing which "speaks not only in metrics of labor hours, machine hours and area, but also in the actual costs associated with the process and its metrics."

Quality Management:
Quality Management through the MMTC includes customized training and implementation assistance in:
 * ISO/TS 16949
 * ISO 9001
 * ISO 14001 Environmental
 * ISO 17025 Lab Standard
 * ISO 13485 Medical Device
 * AS 9100 Aerospace
 * TL 9000 Communication
 * Automotive Core Tools (PPAP, APQP, FMEA, SPC, MSA)

Affiliations

 * Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
 * National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
 * Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (HMEP)

Location
The MMTC has five regional offices in Michigan:

Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center - Headquartered in Plymouth, MI, the MMTC Southeast Office provides the full list of services for 12 counties in Southeast Michigan. With 51 employees, the Plymouth MMTC Headquarters is the largest of the regional offices. However, they have not managed to reach the growth they projected in 2000 when they moved from Ann Arbor to a new, larger facility in Plymough.

The Right Place The MMTC West Michigan office, the Right Place, Inc., is dedicated to increasing business opportunities and manufacturing best practices in the Grand Rapids area.

Northern Initiatives (NI) Northern Initiatives is the refional office that supports the manufacturing community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Similar to the MMTC, Northern Initiatives provides consulting and other help to manufacturing companies.

Center for Manufacturing Improvement The Center for Manufacturing Improvement is on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University and serves the Northeast portion of Michigan.

Michigan Technical Education Center M-TEC Training and Research is the Northwest branch of the MEP in Michigan and it provides research and training to small to mid-sized businesses in the area. It has a focus on manufacturers, but also extends its services to other small businesses.