With federal funds and new partners, Maine MEP helps manufacturers through pandemic
Courtesy / W.S. Emerson Co.
When production dropped 25% due to the pandemic, a coalition of manufacturing organization helped Brewer promotional products supplier W.S. Emerson fit up to develop and make high-performance hydrophobic face coverings.
As manufacturers navigate severe declines in business or slowdowns in operations, they may be able to get assistance through a new partnership.
The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership received a $286,000 grant to develop support programs for manufacturers that are severely impacted by the pandemic, according to a news release.
Maine MEP, an economic development organization for the state's manufacturers, will partner with the Manufacturers Association of Maine and the Advanced Manufacturing Center at the University of Maine to provide services to develop business recovery plans for manufacturers. MAME leveraged the federal funding to secure a recent award of $100,000 from the Maine Technology Institute.
It’s the first time the three organizations have worked together in a federally funded recovery effort.
“Maine has more than 1,500 small to medium manufacturers, many of which have been impacted by the pandemic,” said Larry Robinson, president of Maine MEP. “Each manufacturer has its own unique set of operation disruptions caused by COVID-19.
"With this federal funding, and with the help of industry partners such as the Manufacturers Association and the Advanced Manufacturing Center at UMaine, we can assess the severity of the business challenges and begin implementing tailored recovery plans.”
Maine MEP, MAME and AMC have begun their outreach initiative to manufacturers, assessing their needs related to COVID-19 and implementing strategies to address them. The challenges have been varied.
Logos, boats, soap
At W.S. Emerson in Brewer, owner John Vickery said the business had grown over the past three years, thanks to help received from Bill Whittier, a Maine MEP senior project manager, in instituting lean manufacturing processes.
The promotional products supplier makes branded products such as logo apparel. When the pandemic hit, production fell off 25%.
Whittier and Forest Wentworth, a project manager with Maine MEP and the University of Maine’s Advanced Manufacturing Center, helped the company to develop high-performance hydrophobic face coverings, obtain pleating jigs and convert some of the company’s existing machinery, and ramp up production to be able to produce 1,200 per day, said Emerson’s production manager, Kate Downey.
The pivot allowed Emerson to retain its workforce of 42. The company is now contracted to make 17,000 masks for the University of Maine, along with other jobs that were already under contract.
The boatbuilding plant at Sabre Yachts in Raymond received valuable guidance and connections from MAME and Maine MEP, to help it navigate the rapidly changing regulatory landscape and resources available that might help the company, said the company’s president and CEO, Aaron Crawford.
Sabre was at capacity leading up to the pandemic, went to a skeleton crew in late March to work out safety protocols, and is now back to about 70% staffing prior at its Raymond and Rockland facilities. The shutdown resulted in significant production delays and some lost sales, he said.
In addition to challenges running with smaller crew, suppliers experienced similar shutdowns or slowdowns, causing supply chain disruptions.
“That will be an ongoing issue in the foreseeable future,” Crawford said, adding that he envisions tapping into the manufacturing partnership’s services going forward.
Derek Bedford, co-owner of a Sanford organic skin care company, Possum Hollow Farm Soap, said the pandemic caused his company to lose 90% of its business, although revenues have been inching up since the state launched its reopening plan.
Three years ago, Possum Hollow began working with Whittier, Wentworth and John Belding, director the Advanced Manufacturing Center, to switch from hand-wrapping items to automating the system.
Since the pandemic started, the AMC has been working on a new gluing mechanism for the soap wrapper to streamline it and make it faster. There have also been discussions about financial challenges the company faces, Bedford said.
“Once the pandemic started, right away I got calls: ‘How can we help?’” he said of his contact with the Advanced Manufacturing Center. “When I need help, they’ll drive down to our manufacturing facility.”
Real-world expertise
The federal money comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Maine MEP provides real-world manufacturing expertise, a network of partners, and a range of individualized services. Maine MEP’s project managers offer industry expertise and partners with field experts, universities and colleges, government agencies and other economic development organizations.
The Manufacturers Association of Maine works directly with its 400 members providing business development and members services, workforce education as well as networking events. MAME’s Business Growth Services consultant network will be instrumental in assessing the companies and providing technical services in this project.
“Maine manufacturers face a wide spectrum of issues, including supply chain disruptions, extended closures and lack of skilled labor magnified by the pandemic," MAME Executive Director Lisa G. Martin, said in the release. “Each of our groups bring special services to the table. The combined knowledge of these three organizations can identify what these manufacturers need and provide the technology and guidance to recover and thrive.”
The AMC at UMaine offers engineering services for businesses looking to develop custom solutions to technical challenges, offering state-of-the-art services and equipment for product and process development. The AMC also has the ability to expand its range of expertise by working with the engineering faculty or other UMaine research centers.
“COVID has put many manufacturers in a difficult situation. They wish to keep workers safe but still need to keep their staff at efficient levels and production on track to meet yearly targets,” John Belding, director of UMaine’s AMC, said in the release. “Many don’t have the time and resources to keep pace with the changing COVID best practices. This consortium will use all of our combined expertise to give Maine manufacturers that upper edge to be both safe and efficient during these difficult times.”
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