On January 26, 2010, South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) and SouthernCarolina Alliance (SCA) launched a regional program in Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell and Hampton Counties to meet the needs of existing and prospective industry through assessments, continuous improvement training, and business advising. This program is designed to make the workforce more employable and productive and to improve the manufacturing process for local industries through Lean Manufacturing principles taken from the Toyota production system’s very successful philosophies.

SCMEP is a private resource for small to mid-size South Carolina businesses, while SCA serves as the regional economic development organization for Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell and Hampton counties.

“SCMEP’s commitment to our region is welcome news because of our tremendous need and desire to improve our workforce and create jobs,” said Danny Black, President and CEO of Southern Carolina Alliance.

Historically, the counties of Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell and Hampton have suffered from higher than the average unemployment rate in the state, currently 12.3%. Allendale County has the highest unemployment rate in the state, currently 23%.

According to Black, SCMEP can provide business assessments and solutions based on twenty-one years of helping companies in SC to become and stay competitive.

To start, SCMEP plans to offer a free assessment called a Competitiveness Review (CR) for any company located in those counties, a service valued at $2,500.

A CR is a nationally recognized assessment tool that provides a comprehensive on-site evaluation of a company’s operations. It both appraises capabilities and gauges the effectiveness of its business systems. Essentially, it provides a snapshot of a company, as to how it compares to similar companies, while offering strategies to improve competitiveness, performance and profits.

Based on the CR findings, SCMEP can help companies with:

• Assistance with implementing the suggested improvements.
• Facilitation of necessary workforce training.
• Referrals to appropriate service providers to implement business improvements and workforce skills training.
• Help in identifying and developing manufacturing training programs, in cooperation with workforce development partners and technical colleges, to directly meet the needs of industry.

SCMEP has a broad network of proven resources across the state which utilizes the most up-to-date tools and techniques with companies in the area. SCMEP has agreed to offer these assessments to the county government operations in the region.

“As our partner, the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership will assist us in addressing some of the most pressing issues in workforce development and organization from the perspective of industry, offering a streamlined, results-focused approach to the company and the employee,” said Black.

SCMEP also will establish an office at the Southern Carolina Business Center, located at 1750 Jackson Street in Barnwell, to implement the regional program. For more information, please contact Bill Robinson at 803.541.0023.

About SCMEP: South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership operates as a non-profit group that offers crucial strategies and solutions to companies, helping to drive growth and cut waste. As an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), SCMEP operates under the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. SCMEP offers a number of services, including sales and marketing, executive coaching and implementation of industrial programs. In 2008, SCMEP clients reported more than $254 million in impact to the state of South Carolina. For more information, please visit scmep.org.

About SCA: Southern Carolina Alliance is a non-profit economic development organization, representing Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell and Hampton Counties. SCA's economic development team works to meet the business needs of the region’s industries, as well as to market the area as the best place in the world to live and work. For more information on Southern Carolina Alliance, please visit www.southerncarolina.org.

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