The Evolution of MEP: The New 

Strategy

Roger D. Kilmer, Director

NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership

roger.kilmer@nist.gov | (301) 975-4676 | www.nist.gov/mep

NIST MEP Blog: http://nistmep.blogs.govdelivery.com
MEP Program Attributes

• Objective – enhance the productivity & technological 

performance of U.S. manufacturers . . . particularly small and 

medium sized manufacturers (SMMs)

• Focused Mission – driven by manufacturers’ needs & 

opportunities

• Primary Asset – national network with direct access to SMMs

• Network of public-private partnerships – nationally and locally

• Rigorous Performance Evaluation Processes

• High Visibility – program & individual success stories

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The MEP Program in Short . . .

 Program started in 1988, with at least one center in all 50 states by 1996

 60 centers with 440 field locations

- System wide, Non-Federal staff is over 1,300

- Contracting with over 2,100 third party service providers

 Partnership Model – Federal/State/Industry 

 MEP System budget ~ $300M

- 1/3 Federal, 2/3 State and Industry (fees for services)

 Program started because of “market failures” in terms of access to information, 

technical expertise and cost. Subsequent study in 2003 by NAPA reconfirmed 

the continued existence of these market failures.

 Emphasis on performance – program and center – measured based upon impact 

of center services on client firms.

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MEP Centers Across the U.S.

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800.MEP.4MFG

www.mep.nist.gov
Partnering to Drive a National Program

• Customers > 306,000 Small& Medium Sized 

Manufacturers - SMMs

Over 2,100 Affiliated 

Services Providers

Over 1,300 Center 

Staff

440 Service 

Locations

60 MEP 

Centers

• Integration, Knowledge Sharing, & 

Evaluation NIST

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MEP’s Evaluation System

Annual 

Operating Plan 

Quarterly Data 

Reporting

Client Impact 

Survey 

Success 

Stories

Annual Review

External Panel 

Review

Quarterly 

Caucus

Longitudinal 

Evaluation 

Research, 

Policy, and 

Analysis

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How Centers Work With Manufacturers

• Initial contact – group sessions, referral

• Assessment – informal walk-through, detailed company analysis

• Identify potential issues, define proposed project and approach for 

solving it

• Negotiate with company and sign project contract with fee paid to center

• Project execution – center staff, partner organization, and/or third party 

consultants

• After completion, project follow-up by center to assure customer 

satisfaction and explore further project opportunities

_____________________________

• Project impact data collected by contractor for NIST approximately 6 

months after project completion

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The Center Balancing Act

Manufacturers 

Economic 

Impact

Market 

Penetration

Financial 

Stability

2 to 1 Cost Share of Expenses

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MEP Program Evolution

Build a System

Optimize 

Performance and 

Accountability

Deliver Higher 

Value-Added 

Services

Deliver High Value

Focus on 

Strategic 

Management

Developing 

Leaders

Develop and 

Deploy 

Technology

Foster Innovation

Increase 

Economic 

Impact

Technology Based 

Economic 

Development

1988-1999 2000 2006 2009 2011

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Challenges Facing MEP Clients

February 6, 2013

As you look forward 

over the next 3 years, 

what do you see as 

your company’s three 

most important 

strategic challenges?
Innovation Pays off For Firms and Employees

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Source: Georgia Tech University, “Innovation in Manufacturing: Needs, Practices, and Performance in Georgia 2012-2014”

Innovation, new technology

8.5%

High Quality, 56.1%

Quick Delivery, 12.7%

Adapting products to 

customer needs, 12.7%

Low price, 17.1%
• Increasing manufacturers’ capacity for innovation resulting in 

profitable sales growth is the overarching strategy for the MEP.

• The approach is to provide a framework for manufacturers that:

- Reduces bottom line expenses through lean, quality, & other programs targeting 

plant efficiencies – which frees up capacity for business growth.

- Adds to top line sales through business growth services focused on the 

development of new sales, new markets, and new products.

• Next Generation Strategies (NGS) –

5 key inter-related areas:

• Continuous Improvement

• Technology Acceleration

• Supply Chain

• Sustainability

• Workforce

Next Generation MEP Strategy

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INNOVATION

SERVICES

Providing a reliable system that 

guides companies through the 

creation of new ideas, discovery 

of market opportunities, and the 

tools to drive the ideas into 

implementation

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NEXT GENERATION STRATEGY

NIST Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology
Technology Acceleration Framework

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Markets
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Influencing Manufacturers’ Growth Strategies

Partners

• Trade Assoc.

• OEMs

• DOE

• DOD

• DOL

• DOT

• EDA

• EPA

• ITA – USEAC

• SBA

• USPTO

Tools and Services

• Continuous Improvement

• Innovation Engineering

• E3

• Tech Scouting

• ExporTech

• Market Diversification

• SMARTalent

• IP Assessment

• National Innovation Marketplace

• Supplier Scouting - Buy American

• Innovation Black Belts

• Sales Support

Markets

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Connecting to Technology Developers

Tools and Services

• Technology Translation

• National Innovation Marketplace

• SBIR

• Technology Scouting

Partners

• Universities

• Federal Labs

• USPTO

• Technology 

Intermediaries

• Innovation 

Organizations

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Bridging 

the Gap

Tools and Services

• Technology Scouting

• Lean Product Development

• Technology-Driven Market 

Intelligence - TDMI

• National Innovation Marketplace

• Prototyping Technology

• Access to Finance

Partners

• Universities

• Federal Labs

• Prototyping Firms

• Technology Intermediaries

• Innovation Organizations

• Financial Organizations

• NNMI (initially NAMI)

February 6, 2013
Additive Manufacturing (AM) – Opportunities for MEP

Emerging manufacturing-enabling AM technologies include:

New Materials - polymers, metals, new: carbomorph (flexible electronics)

Evolving Machines – $↓ tabletop, $↑ repeatable, precise

Diverse Applications - consumer, biomedical, aerospace, automotive

Community Engagement - NAMII, Thingiverse, Shapeways 

• 5 MEP Centers already actively engaged in AM projects with in-house build and 

modeling/FEM capabilities; other Centers leveraging 3rd parties for AM

• NIST MEP developing regional AM consortium in northern CA to leverage capabilities at 

MEP Centers, universities, community colleges and AM technologies/expertise at LLNL

• Ongoing system communications regarding AM resources, internal/external to network 

(Center specs, regional & national resources, success stories ...)

• Ongoing scouting/inventory for emerging resources and trends to analyze for 

gaps/opportunities and share with network

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OVERVIEW

• MEP E-CAR Project led by Polymer Ohio, an Ohio (OH) Edison 

Technology Center

• Focused on process & capabilities improvement of small U.S. 

manufacturers via their use of advanced modeling & simulation (M&S) software 

• Small polymer manufacturers in OH initial target; expanding beyond polymer industry & beyond OH

 Assessing manufacturers needs, communicating potential benefits, training manufacturer’s 

staff in applying methods, and providing access to M&S at affordable pricing

STATUS

• Developed and launched the Polymer Portal as principal access point for portfolio of M&S 

applications and training

• M&S assessment interactions with ~50 OH polymer manufacturers 

• Several hundred manufacturers engaged via events

• Even with flexible business models and access, difficult to get small manufacturers to embrace M&S 

– perception of barriers: staff capabilities, required investment, uncertain returns

 Direct company interactions are key – assess needs & opportunities, demo M&S benefits

Advanced Modeling and Simulation for Manufacturing

Software

Available Software

Software Pricing & Purchasing

Access Software for Training

Training

Certificate Programs

Available Training Courses

Receive Training Updates

Technical Support

Software Product Support

Portal Customer Support

How do I access my software?

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A Fact & Challenges in Serving SMMs

 SMMs want and will pay for technology “services” and 

“solutions” that lead to profitable growth

How do we deal with –

• Integration across diverse business models of partners 

to create a seamless, efficient system

• Geography

• Capacity – not 10’s, but 100’s or 1000’s of manufacturers

• Scale – incremental, not necessarily disruptive

• Time frame to transition and implement

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