FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                   G 95-79
Oct. 23, 1995
Contact:  Jan Kosko                      COMMERCE'S NIST ANNOUNCES
          (301) 975-2767                 18 AWARDS TO HELP SMALLER
          janice.kosko@nist.gov          MANUFACTURERS IMPROVE
                                         COMPETITIVENESS

     The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and
Technology today announced 18 awards for new manufacturing extension
programs as part of its Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Working
together, the private sector and government have created this nationwide
network dedicated to helping smaller manufacturers improve their
competitiveness through the adoption of modern technologies and business
practices.

     "The Manufacturing Extension Partnership is helping small and
medium-sized manufacturers -- a critical sector in the U.S. economy --
grow and prosper and create and preserve jobs for American workers,"
said Commerce Secretary Ronald H. Brown. "With the addition of these new
programs to the MEP, we're well on our way to a truly national network
that will give smaller manufacturers in every state access to a wealth
of tools, techniques, information and other resources," he said.

       With today's announcement, 42 states, plus Puerto Rico, now have
60 centers affiliated with the MEP. The partnership began in 1989 with
extension programs in three states. New to the MEP network are Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Puerto Rico. Six of the 18
awards will provide coverage in new regions of states already affiliated
with the MEP.

     NIST received 44 proposals for new or expanded manufacturing
extension programs with a total first year funding request of $46.5
million. The 18 selected for awards were evaluated based on the
proposing organization's knowledge of the numbers, types and needs of
smaller firms in the proposed service region; technology and business
resources; technology delivery mechanisms; and an effective management
and financial plan.

     Funding to support the MEP network initially is shared by the
federal, state and local partners. In all cases, federal support is
matched by state or local funding, fees for services and industry
contributions. The total amount of federal funds requested to support
these 18 MEP-affiliated programs for their first year is $21.2 million.
Cost-shared funding by state organizations and others is $23.3 million.
The awards announced today are contingent on negotiations of formal
agreements between NIST and the proposing organizations.

     Each center in the MEP network is a partnership, typically
involving federal, state and local governments; industry; educational
institutions; and other sources of expertise, information and funding
support. Centers are non-profit organizations and are not federal
government offices.

     MEP centers are designed to help link sources of improved
manufacturing technology and modern business practices with the small
and mid-sized companies needing assistance. While each center tailors
its services to meet the needs dictated by its location and
manufacturing client base, some common services are offered by most
extension centers. Broadly, these include helping manufacturers assess
their current technology and business needs, define avenues for change
and implement improvements. Working with other organizations, many
centers also assist companies with quality management, workforce
training, workplace organization, business systems, marketing or
financial issues.

     Surveys of MEP's client firms indicate that MEP's network of
manufacturing extension services is fostering significant improvements
in manufacturing and business performance, yielding company-estimated
benefits that greatly exceed the federal investment in MEP. For example,
average benefits per company anticipated by the 610 companies responding
to the surveys include 5.6 jobs added or saved, $43,000 savings in labor
and material costs, and an increase of almost $370,000 in sales. In
addition, a recent study by the U.S. General Accounting Office reported
that the assistance smaller manufacturers had received from
manufacturing extension programs, including NIST's MEP, had positively
affected their use of technology, the quality of their product, the
productivity of their workers, their customers' satisfaction, their
profits and their ability to meet production schedules.

     A non-regulatory agency of the Commerce Department's Technology
Administration, NIST promotes U.S. economic growth by working with
industry to develop and apply technology, measurements and standards.
NIST was selected by Congress to develop and manage the MEP because of
its expertise in manufacturing engineering, its reputation as an
impartial third party and its long-standing tradition of productive
partnerships forged with public and private organizations at the
national, state and local levels.

                               - 30 -

NOTE:  A list of the 18 new MEP programs and a contact for each is
attached. A more detailed fact sheet on each is available from NIST's
Public and Business Affairs Division by calling (301) 975-2762.
Information also is available on the World Wide Web via Internet at
http://www.nist.gov/welcome.html or by telnetting to gopher.nist.gov. At
the log in prompt, type gopher. Gopher clients may use the NIST server:
gopher-server.nist.gov

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                 Manufacturing Extension Partnership

                    1995 AWARDS FOR NEW PROGRAMS

ALABAMA

Alabama Technology Network ( Birmingham)
Serving firms throughout Alabama

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $2,000,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $2,250,000
Contact: Sara Dennis, Acting Director
(205) 250-4747

ARIZONA

Arizona Regional Office (Albuquerque)
Serving firms throughout Arizona

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $795,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $795,000
Contact: Randy W. Grissom, Vice President, Industry Network Corp.
(505) 843-4250

ARKANSAS

Arkansas Manufacturing Extension Network (Little Rock)
Serving firms throughout Arkansas

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $1,403,465
Cost-Shared Funds: $2,080,577
Contact: Julie S. Welch, Director
(501) 324-9006

CALIFORNIA

Northern California Manufacturing Extension Center (Fremont)
Serving firms initially in the six counties of the San Francisco Bay region

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $2,000,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $2,000,000
Contact: Bruce Kern, Director, Economic Development
(510) 272-3874

FLORIDA

Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Inc. (Orlando)
Serving firms throughout Florida

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $3,550,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $3,550,000
Contact: William G. Brundage, President & CEO
Enterprise Florida Innovation Partnership, Inc.
(407) 425-5313
IDAHO

Idaho Manufacturing Alliance (Boise/Ada)
Serving firms throughout Idaho

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $254,123
Cost-Shared Funds: $395,490
Contact: James E. Hogge, State Director
(208) 385-1640

MAINE

Central Maine Manufacturing Extension Center (Augusta)
Part of Maine's statewide technical assistance network

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $223,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $225,000
Contact: Diane Wescott, Director, Maine MEP
(207) 621-6350

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Polymer Institute and Pilot Manufacturing Extension Center
(Hattiesburg)
Focusing initially on Mississippi's nearly 400-firm polymer and
polymer-related industries

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $478,800
Cost-Shared Funds: $756,263
Contact: Robert K. Schlatzer, Director
(601) 266-4607

MONTANA

Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (Bozeman)
Serving firms throughout Montana

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $527,400
Cost-Shared Funds: $591,961
Contact: William R. Taylor, Director, University Technical Assistance Program
(406) 994-3812

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire Regional Manufacturing Technology Center (Nashua)
Serving firms throughout New Hampshire

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $522,600
Cost-Shared Funds: $540,620
Contact: Keith W. Bird, President, New Hampshire Technical College
(603) 882-6923

NEW JERSEY

New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Newark)
Serving firms throughout New Jersey

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $2,000,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $2,000,000
Contact: Donald Sebastian, Acting Executive Director, Center for
Manufacturing Systems
(201) 642-4869

OHIO

Regional Manufacturing Outreach Center in Northeast Ohio (Cleveland)
Serving firms in 14 counties surrounding Canton and Youngstown

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $562,114
Cost-Shared Funds: $562,114
Contact: David Thomas-Greaves, Program Manager
(216) 432-5340

PENNSYLVANIA

Southcentral/Central Expansion to
Southeastern Pennsylvania Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Philadelphia)
Serving firms in 26 counties in central and southcentral Pennsylvania

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $1,500,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $1,770,000
Contact: Joseph Houldin, Executive Director
(215) 464-8550

PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico Manufacturing Extension, Inc. (Hato Rey)
Serving firms throughout Puerto Rico

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $633,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $633,000
Contact: Miguel A. Burset, Executive Director
(809) 766-0616

RHODE ISLAND

Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Services (Kingston)
Serving firms throughout Rhode Island

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $404,618
Cost-Shared Funds: $404,618
Contact: William Ferrante, Executive Director
(401) 792-5516

UTAH

Utah Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Provo)
Serving firms throughout Utah

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $995,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $995,000
Contact: David K. Sorensen, Executive Director, WestCAMP
(801) 378-9000

VERMONT

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (Randolph Center)
Serving firms throughout Vermont

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $450,000
Cost-Shared Funds: $450,000
Contact: Robert G. Clarke, President, Vermont Technical College
(802) 728-1000

WISCONSIN

Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Madison)
Serving firms throughout Wisconsin

First Year Federal Funds Requested: $2,899,185
Cost-Shared Funds: $3,436,932
Contact: Chris Thompson, Project Director, State Technology Extension
Planning Program
(608) 262-2069