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With a welcoming response from industry, Illinois is celebrating
the recent launch of a supply chain center envisioned as a way
to revolutionize manufacturing. The program, available in all 50
states through the U.S. Department of Commerce, uses database
technology to make sure the industry has the resources it needs
to grow.
“We’ve learned so much from the pandemic and the aftereffects of
the pandemic of the critical importance of supply chains,” said
David Boulay, president of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence
Center, a nonprofit economic development group. “As we’ve gone
into some new normal of the economy, these supply chain
challenges continue to ripple.”
Together with the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, IMEC will
be working to team up manufacturers and suppliers in a virtual
effort to keep resources flowing. Though initial contacts are
virtual, the program also invites in-person visits at industrial
sites.
“The real work begins with that dialogue and conversation with
the company to understand in more detail what they’re looking
for. And then our team uses data analytics, the databases we
have, to search out the solutions,” he said.
According to Boulay, companies can start the conversation very
simply through the IMEC website.
The potential to make a difference with the Manufacturing
Extension Partnership program is significant in Illinois. Boulay
described the state as a powerhouse with manufacturing
consisting of well over 18,000 such companies drawing on supply
chains in every sector.
Suppliers also will benefit.
“We can help the Illinois suppliers really localize or
strengthen their supply base here in the state,” Boulay said.
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