It was interesting to see what they are doing and what they are producing and what they are going through, he said. Skyline is a custom designer and builder of metal stamping dies. People who have been immersed in manufacturing techniques for some time have still learned new things on the tour. They were able to do it better than I would have ever imagined. The network here was patterned after a similar effort in North Carolina where the exchanges have proved popular and useful over several years.
People pay for the privilege of getting on it.
So far in Tennessee, ECD, UT and the TAB have underwritten the costs of the tours. When the idea for the HPMN first surfaced last year, Bunton and others sat down and brainstormed about what companies could be impressive hosts. The list was long enough that organizers believed they could sustain the network over time. As this thing gets going, it s very likely that industries will contact us, Tieche said. Long term, we are looking at the possibility of repeat visits, Bunton said.