ABSTRACT
The NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a nationwide network of locally managed centers offering technology assistance and the latest business practices to help smaller manufacturers improve their competitiveness. The MEP was created in 1988 as a new extramural responsibility assigned to NIST by the Omnibus Trade and Competiveness Act—the same Act that changed NBS into NIST. The 1999 report to Congress, The NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership, A Network for Success, summarizes the progress in the first decade of MEP. While part of a national network, MEP centers are independent, non-profit organizations. They offer products and services that meet the specific needs of the region's local manufacturers. MEP centers work with companies that are willing to invest time, money, and/or human resources to improve their business. Results of ongoing surveys confirm that MEP services are yielding sizable benefits. Other independent studies have also yielded solid evidence of performance and economic benefits.
