AMES, IOWA – The Iowa Lean Consortium (ILC), a nonprofit founded eight years ago to promote business efficiency throughout the Iowa economy, will be merging with Iowa State University’s Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) effective July 2.
Government contracting is a byzantine business—a long and plodding trek through a jungle filled with complicated regulation, documentation requirements, and new marketing challenges.
Sound impossible? Not if you have help.
Industry experts from around the state are developing a detailed plan for growing Iowa manufacturing—with CIRAS slated to play a leading role both in the plan’s design and its implementation.
The ongoing effort stems from 2017’s governor’s Year of Manufacturing initiative, which charged the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Innovation Council (IIC) with finding ways to increase a $29 billion manufacturing gross domestic product to $32 billion by 2022.
By the time CIRAS walked through his door, Adam Gold was ready to listen.
It was 2014, and it was clear that The Dimensional Group was a company with problems. The Mason City custom packaging and commercial printing firm had stretched beyond its capabilities.
Each dollar the federal government spent on the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership in 2017 generated a $14.50 return to the United States treasury, according to a new survey from the W.E. Upjohn Institute.
Sukup Manufacturing’s focus on the future of agriculture – one where technology seamlessly creates a “fully integrated farm” – helped make it Iowa’s first “Manufacturing Technology Company of the Year.”
It surprises me when I meet business leaders who still believe environmental responsibility beyond meeting regulation, or social responsibility outside their four walls, is a cost versus an investment with good returns. CSR and sustainability work around the world, and in Iowa, has proven that leading companies have found ways to do both while profiting along the way.
One key market for selling your products/services involves local governments – the host of towns, cities, and counties located throughout Iowa.
Normally, the first step in doing business with local governments is to contact the municipal clerk, the county auditor, or the city Procurement Office/county Purchasing Department. This can be accomplished by personally visiting their offices to learn about their bid opportunities. If that’s not practical, you can research their websites for notices and submit your bid online/email. Or, you can simply email your company capability statement to each government’s Point of Contact (POC).
In March, CIRAS kicked off its 2018 Future of Manufacturing Series with Cybersecurity for Manufacturers in Cedar Rapids. While we all have heard about cyber attacks, ransomware, data theft, etc., cybersecurity too frequently falls into the “it won’t happen to me” category – especially for manufacturers.
Camille Sloan Schroeder earlier this month was presented with the 2018 President’s Award of Merit by the Quad-City Engineering and Science Council (QCESC).