Valuing Human Resource Development in an Organization; Providing Comprehensive Technical Assistance Services to Small Manufacturing Companies

Modernization of manufacturing means updating capabilities and changing the ways in which companies organize and manage processes, produce their product, and hire, train, and retain their personnel. Often referred to as "high performance, " these qualities are characterized by worker training and development, continuous improvement, ongoing information sharing, and worker discretion and autonomy. They are equally applicable to small, medium-sized, and large manufacturing firms. While many barriers exist that challenge small manufacturers to move from their traditional operations to high performance, those that are able to operate in this mode have demonstrated success. In 1988, Congress passed the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act which charged the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help smaller manufacturers adopt and apply performance-improving technologies as needed to meet the intensifying domestic and global competition in manufacturing. NIST established the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program to create and implement a nationwide system of technical assistance centers, staffed by knowledgeable manufacturing and other business system professionals, to enabl