The COVID-19 pandemic taught Iowa companies many things about their operations, but perhaps the greatest lesson was the need to develop more resiliency to better handle business disruptions regardless of their origin. To help companies with preparedness, CIRAS hosted a series of business resiliency webinars last spring on 19 topics ranging from building resiliency in … Continue reading Webinars Address Need for Resiliency
Year: 2022
Hybrid ILC Conference Draws Record Number of Businesses
A record-breaking 120 companies and organizations were represented at the 10th annual CIRAS Iowa Lean Consortium (ILC) conference October 26 and 27. More than 320 people participated in the event either in person or online. The conference featured two keynote speakers and more than a dozen breakout sessions. “We were very pleased by the response … Continue reading Hybrid ILC Conference Draws Record Number of Businesses
Iowa Manufacturers use Grant to Invest in Technology
The Iowa Economic Development Authority’s 2020 Manufacturing 4.0 plan identified five key strategies focused on preparing Iowa’ s manufacturers for the fourth industrial revolution, in which the physical and digital elements of factories become fully integrated. As global manufacturing transforms, it is critical that manufacturers apply technology to fill existing workforce gaps and create new, … Continue reading Iowa Manufacturers use Grant to Invest in Technology
Did You Know? New SBA Business Size Standards Rule
By: Mary Zimmerman Certain government programs, such as Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs and contracting opportunities, are reserved for small businesses. To qualify, businesses must satisfy the SBA’s definition of a small business concern, along with the size standards for small business. SBA sets the size standards for businesses by industry using either revenue … Continue reading Did You Know? New SBA Business Size Standards Rule
CIRAS News: Meet Mark Facile
Mark Facile has joined CIRAS as a project manager specializing in productivity. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering from Iowa State University and a master of business administration from Drake University. He joins CIRAS after spending more than 27 years in manufacturing, using his broad engineering experience to improve process efficiencies and drive … Continue reading CIRAS News: Meet Mark Facile