Business Resources for Manufacturers

Associated Industries of Massachusetts

Established in 1915, Associated Industries of Massachusetts is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan association of Massachusetts employers. A.I.M.'s mission is to promote the well-being of its members and their employees and the prosperity of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by:

Improving the economic climate of Massachusetts,
Proactively advocating fair and equitable public policy,
Providing relevant, reliable information and excellent services.

Massachusetts Manufacturing Advancement Center

The Manufacturing Advancement Center (MAC) is a non-profit organization founded to increase the competitiveness of small manufacturers. MAC helps small manufacturers with programs and services such as hands-on training in lean manufacturing, creating partnerships for technology transfer, developing strategic plans, business and manufacturing development seminars, and a newsletter for manufacturers.

Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership

MassMEP is a non-profit service available to every manufacturer in the state to help them compete more effectively in the global marketplace. Improved efficiency, elimination of waste, international certifications, integration into global supply chains and networking to become more profitable and increase sales.

Part of a nationwide network of MEP centers in all 50 states, linked together through the Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), MassMEP enables even the smallest firms in Massachusetts to have easy access to more than 2,000 manufacturing, technical and business specialists, along with the latest technology and industry best practices.

Services include: Business Planning and Enterprise Development; Product Development; Supply Chain Development; Lean Manufacturing & Process Improvement; Quality Improvement Assurance; Information Technology Management, and International Business Development.

MassMEP also offers specialized training programs such as:

The New England Machine Operator Skills Training (M.O.S.T.) is designed to meet the challenge of training CNC machine operators by utilizing a unique fast track training process to develop "basically trained" machine operators in a fraction of the time the traditional methods relied on in the past. In addition this training is directed at a "Non Traditional" workforce, workers with little or no experience in manufacturing.
MOST

Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center

The Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) is a lifeline for the state’s smaller medical device companies, offering inventors and executives easy, affordable, and coordinated access to world-class researchers and resources at the Lowell and Worcester campuses of the University of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC)

MassMEDIC is the voluntary grassroots association of medical device manufacturers and associated companies in the Commonwealth. MassMEDIC strives to create a positive environment which will nurture developing companies, retain and help established medical device companies to grow, and attract new companies to Massachusetts. MassMEDIC provides services, programs and collaborative initiatives with the goal of making Massachusetts the medical device research, development and manufacturing capital of the world.

New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

NETAAC provides grants (from the U.S. Department of Commerce) to companies experiencing import competition. NETAAC helps companies become certified as eligible (100% success rate). NETAAC prepares an in-depth diagnostic analysis and an adjustment plan. Approved companies are then eligible to receive a mini-grant ($30,000) or a full grant ($100,000) to hire private consultants to provide customized assistance with a wide range of business adjustment needs. Manufacturers (including software companies that create a product) are potentially eligible.

Regional Technology Corporation

The Regional Technology Corporation ("RTC") is a market driven catalyst for growth and development of technology-based industries in Western Massachusetts and the Knowledge Corridor. In affiliation with the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, the RTC serves to coordinate and manage the region's technology economic development strategy as it relates to business development, attraction and creation. RTC offers three business networks - technology, materials and manufacturing, and biotechnology.