BOZEMAN, Mont. — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced $853,333 in funding for the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) for the next year and a half, which strengthens Montana small manufacturers through partnerships and guidance.
MMEC has worked with nearly 1,200 of the manufacturers in the state. According to the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, MMEC delivers an 8:1 return on investment for the citizens of the state of Montana.
“Manufacturing plays an integral role in supporting hardworking families across our state,” Daines stated. “Manufacturing jobs pay an average of 17 percent higher wages than non-manufacturing jobs and I’m proud to support funding to create more of these high-paying jobs.”
Every client that MMEC works with is surveyed afterward by an independent third party. In the past 20 years, MMEC clients have reported the following results due to MMEC projects:
- Increased Sales: $377,759,835
- Retained Sales: $708,852,455
- Jobs Created: 1,423
- Jobs Retained: 3,126
- Cost Savings: $82,998,937
- Cost Avoidance: $26,691,956
- Additional Investments: $209,072,123
The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awards are part of its efforts to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers. This provides funding for the first year of the five-year agreements. Continued funding is subject to the availability of annual appropriations and successful annual reviews.
In Montana, manufacturing plays a critical role in creating good-paying jobs:
- In 1996, there were 1,489 manufacturers in the state of Montana employing 22,500 people.
- In 2016, there are 2,841 manufacturers in the state of Montana employing 23,931 people.
- 81% of Montana’s manufacturers have less than 10 employees
- 55% of Montana’s manufacturers have been in business for less than 20 years.
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