TMAC receives grant to help manufacturers recover from Hurricane Harvey
STATION – Many small and medium-sized manufacturers in Texas are facing a long
road to recovery from Hurricane Harvey, but the Texas Manufacturing Assistance
Center (TMAC) at TEEX will provide recovery support — through a $2 million federal
grant to TMAC, with $800,000 for the TMAC at TEEX Gulf Coast region.
Funding from
the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) will help small and medium-sized manufacturers in Texas recover from
facility damage, labor shortages and other disruptions caused by the storm and
flooding. The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) provided emergency
funding to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana and TMAC, a
program operated by the University of Texas at Arlington with Texas A&M
Engineering Extension Service serving the Gulf Coast and East Central regions
of the state.
Smaller
manufacturers are often important suppliers in vital national supply chains, yet
they often have less time to recover from disasters before they start to lose
customers. TMAC will assess obstacles keeping affected manufacturers from
returning to normal operations and help them develop recovery plans and connect
with federal, state or local resources that can assist in their business
recovery efforts.
“Our hope is
to reach out to as many impacted manufacturers in the area as possible and help
them assess, prioritize and find the needed resources to speed their recovery
efforts.” said Lesa Hill, Division Director of TEEX Knowledge Engineering and
TMAC Partner Council member.
TMAC will
also work with NIST on ways to disseminate disaster preparedness information
and best practices for what manufacturers should do before, during and after a
disaster.
About NIST
and MEP
As a non-regulatory
agency of the Commerce Department, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial
competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in
ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. The NIST
Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) works with U.S.
manufacturers to help them create and retain jobs, increase profits, and save
time and money. Visit www.nist.gov
www.nist.gov/mep/
About TMAC
TMAC helps
businesses grow, increase profits, increase productivity, develop a skilled
workforce, improve management systems, develop & launch new products, save
money, innovate and reach their goals. TMAC is an affiliate of the Hollings
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, a nationwide network of
state, university-based and non-profit centers focusing on solving
manufacturers’ challenges and identifying opportunities for growth.