A Letter from the Director
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Manufacturing in a Cyber World
Remember in your early manufacturing career when machine centers were operated with rows of relays and timers? Tweaking the process flow required hard wiring changes. Troubleshooting took the form of the voltmeter to check continuity through the relays and sensors. The advent of programmable logic and process controllers provided incredible gains in the ability and ease to optimize the process flow. Human Machine Interface panels and displays further advanced process and manufacturing technology.
As these developments advanced, there was a strong drive to connect and operate the plant controls through computer network and business systems. In order to integrate the manufacturing process with the business and enterprise resource planning systems, the cyber threat of this connected equipment has grown.
The threat of cybersecurity has taken a front seat in the area of national defense. The Department of Defense (DOD) has worked with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop cybersecurity standards for those businesses involved directly with DOD work and indirectly through the entire supply chain of a direct DOD business partner. NIST has released the following draft report to seek comments by April 18, 2018 and bring awareness of these standards for policymakers, managers and participants (
https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/nistir/8200/draft
).
Older technology and equipment in a manufacturing facility can be an easy door opening for a cyberattack. The robust protocol of the NIST DOD cybersecurity standards can be overwhelming for some manufacturers asking themselves,
where do I start
? On Friday, March 9, our Industrial Advisory Board Chair Jim Dean from Shreveport and our Operations Director Dr. Ali Ahmad from Natchitoches joined me in a visit to the NIST labs and the NIST-MEP offices in Gaithersburg, Maryland. We were in the Washington D. C. area that week participating with the National MEP advisory board meetings and meetings with the 8 Louisiana congressional officials and their staff to provide insight about the MEP and discuss the value of manufacturing in their districts.
We toured the NIST lab involved with the manufacturing cyber initiative. Typically, manufacturing process controls and computer operations don’t have a large amount of excess processing power to run add-on software and hardware functions intended to improve cybersecurity. NIST is conducting research on the latent response time for a manufacturing control system with the added cybersecurity software and hardware to determine the implication of the slower computer processing time on the manufacturing process. As a result of this work, NIST is working on a manufacturing cybersecurity protocol that will provide a streamlined, how-to approach for manufacturing cybersecurity. This manufacturing cybersecurity protocol will aid manufacturers to get started in better securing their manufacturing process from a cyberattack with minimal computer processing impact.
If you are already well on your journey with your manufacturing facility on this cybersecurity front, congratulations on being an industry leader and recognizing the sizeable impact of cyber on your operations. If you are just seeing this information for the first time and now are aware of its impact, this information should be helpful to get you started down this important path. What we all need to recognize is that cybersecurity is essential, critical, and urgent for our manufacturing operations. The time to cyber protect your operations is NOW!
To learn more about the MEP of Louisiana, please visit
http://mepol.org
. If you have a need and would like to visit with our MEP of Louisiana team, please connect
here
or call us at 337-482-6767.
Mike Wolff
, Director
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Nepris: Connecting Industry Professionals to Every Classroom
Nepris is a virtual platform that connects teachers with industry professionals in Louisiana (and nationwide) to bring real world relevance to classrooms. The program was developed to increase industry exposure in local schools, broaden student perceptions about different career paths and expand students' knowledge about high-wage, high demand jobs. By connecting teachers and students with the right industry experts virtually, Nepris provides real world relevance to learning and an effective way for companies to extend education outreach and create equity of access.
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The MEP of Louisiana now has a company page on Nepris which can be found here:
https://oneacadiana.nepris.com/org/mepol
. Any professional/company who signs up via this link will automatically be associated with the MEP of Louisiana. Please feel free to sign up as we currently and will continue to have multiple requests for Manufacturing sessions from Louisiana educators. We would like to encourage manufacturing companies to sign up for Nepris in order to engage with students throughout Louisiana who have an interest in manufacturing.
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On Wednesday, February 28th, the MEP of Louisiana was invited to the One Acadiana Regional Celebration. The Nepris table focused on industry leaders and educators that have been supportive of the platform.
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MEP of Louisiana Project Manager, Dan Stumper, Placed on RPCC Reserve Campus
The MEP of Louisiana is proud to announce the placement of newly appointed Project Manager, Dan Stumper, in the
River Parishes Community College Reserve Campus
new building, K135. This location will allow Stumper to connect with manufacturers in the New Orleans region more efficiently. The RPCC Reserve Campus location serves citizens of St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James Parishes who are seeking the opportunity to participate in the "World of Work". RPCC Reserve Campus offers the following manufacturing related courses: Industrial Instrumentation, Industrial Maintenance Technology, Process Technology, and Welding.
"River Parishes Community College, Reserve Campus is excited to welcome the MEP of Louisiana to its campus. We look forward to working with such an innovative organization to enhance manufacturing in the River Parishes. We feel this relationship will bring even stronger workforce initiatives to our area", said Campus Dean Penelope "Penny" Shumaker.
"The MEP of Louisiana is pleased to have a focus in the River Parishes region. MEP of Louisiana is looking forward to partnering with RPCC and manufacturers in the area to grow manufacturing with breakout initiatives and sustainable solutions to improve performance", said Dan Stumper, MEP of Louisiana Project Manager.
Dan Stumper was placed on the River Parishes Community College Reserve Campus starting February 19, 2018. For manufacturers in the River Parishes area this transition will be beneficial as they will continue to have easier access to experienced Project Managers in their area. Dan can be reached at
dan.stumper@mepol.org
or (985) 536-4418.
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March 2018: Face of Manufacturing
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“I work as if AmeriGlobe was my own company. I value our work, therefore, I work hard to ensure we produce and ship quality products.”
For Katina Walker, persistence paid off 25 years ago when she would not stop calling the company until she landed a job at AmeriGlobe of Lafayette, Louisiana.
Twenty-five years ago Katina Walker was in need of a job to support her family. After calling the Human Resources department every day for a week, the Human Resources Director couldn’t resist interviewing such a determined caller. Walker was hired on the spot for her tenacity and willingness to learn. By starting from the very first step in making bulk bags for the company as a seamstress, she was able to learn each process and eventually move up to AmeriGlobe’s Quality Coordinator, where she is responsible for ensuring all flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBC), or bulk bag products meet their quality standards.
“Manufacturing has been a means for me to take care of my family,” says Walker. “I’m lucky to be a part of a company that I love including its owners, management, and coworkers. It’s definitely a team effort around here, and I am one of many who honors the company.”
According to Walker, her need to be a perfectionist in everything she does is what led to her role as the Quality Coordinator at AmeriGlobe. She still insists that whatever her role is for the company, she doesn’t consider herself separate from the great people she works with who make AmeriGlobe “a great place to work”. “I’m just a representative of our fine company,” she says with a smile.
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Established in 1985 and located in Lafayette, Louisiana,
AmeriGlobe, LLC
is a Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container (FIBC), or bulk bag, manufacturer. The company is the largest bulk bag manufacturer in the United States with a combination of US production and managed overseas production. AmeriGlobe has developed a number of patented designs to include the Load ‘n’ Lock Top®, the ‘Perma’ Liner® and the MegaBase®. The quality of their domestic bulk bags is ensured by a documented quality program, 3 UV testing machines, and more than 30 years of experience making bulk bags.
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To nominate the next Face of Manufacturing, click the button, fill out the form and return to
kayla.gentry@mepol.org
!
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What's Happening in the MEP National Network?
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Delegates from MEP of Louisiana Meet with Congressional Leaders on Capitol Hill
March 7-8, 2018, Mike Wolff and Ali Ahmad (MEP of Louisiana) and Jim Dean (Module X Solutions and Chair of Advisory Board for the MEP of Louisiana) met with the state delegation/staff members on capitol hill to provide updates regarding the Manufacturing Extension Program. Since 2010, the MEP of Louisiana has served more than 320 manufacturers resulting in more than $170 Million in new and retained sales, more than 1,400 new and retained jobs, close to $6 Million in cost savings, and an excess of $26 Million in new investments in the state. The impact of the MEP of Louisiana goes beyond individual manufacturing clients in new sales, cost savings, and adding and keeping jobs in Louisiana to provide increased industrial and personal tax revenues for the state. More than 3,200 manufacturers based in Louisiana employ nearly 150,000 workers, building a strong foundation for the state’s economy [U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Business Patterns].
“Hill Day is a great opportunity to meet with our congressional representatives, share real examples of the value of MEP, and the outsized ROI our program generates by creating jobs and strengthening our nation's supply chains. MEP is the only federal program for small and mid-sized manufacturers solely dedicated to their competitiveness,” said Jim Dean, Vice President of Module X Solutions and MEP of Louisiana Industrial Advisory Board Chairman.
"The legislative staff showed interest in the manufacturing impacts in the state. Several members of their staff were interested in the Hurricane Harvey program and eligibility criteria. There were various levels of awareness regarding the MEP program, some delegation members knew about the program, some did not; nevertheless, all members showed a level of engagement with efforts that support manufacturing initiatives," said Ali Ahmad, Operations Director, MEP of Louisiana.
The intent of Hill Day is to raise awareness on the importance of small and medium-sized manufacturers’ effect on rebuilding the economy. By showcasing the achievements of this sector to elected officials, ASMC members are able to demonstrate a return on investment of the federal funding generated through the MEP program.
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Regional Workshop on Smart Manufacturing
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