Many years ago I inherited perhaps the world’s most under-performing, unreliable, unpredictable, and unacceptable – and all other antonyms that are an antithesis for anything positive – maintenance team. The extreme lack of performance left all sorts of carnage piled up at the front door of the unemployment office. Maintenance managers did not last longer […]

For the state’s food manufacturers, a Georgia Tech partnership is the secret ingredient to growth. You would expect a building where vinegar is made to have a sour smell, highly pungent, perhaps with a whiff of apple. World Technology Ingredients (WTI) smells nothing like this. Their manufacturing facility, off a county two-lane in Jefferson, Georgia, […]

As with any pursuit that is worthwhile, unfortunately, there is no “magic wand” that can create long-term change and growth for a company’s operations or culture. Instead you need a lasting commitment from your leaders for change to occur and be sustained. Implementing an Organizational Excellence Model is about more than an assessment or incorporating […]

As technology on the shop floor continues to advance, manufacturers are becoming more aware of new software tools and mobile hardware platforms, such as tablets and hands-free smart glasses, that are making a significant impact on the manufacturing process. On the market today, there are a variety of wireless software applications and tools available that […]

An expert in food safety and Taylor Swift lyrics, GaMEP project manager, Wendy White breaks down popular food safety trends that may actually create more harm than good. Examples include: When considering new trends like saving bad fruit that would otherwise be thrown away, it’s important to understand that damaged fruit with a broken protective […]

The Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), Georgia Tech’s economic development arm, has named Tim Israel, director of the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP). Israel, who had been GaMEP’s associate director and group manager of process improvement, will be responsible for the manufacturing resources and regional staff located across Georgia. He succeeds Karen Fite, who was named […]

Industry Trends: Manufacturing Manufacturing makes the modern world possible, from the food we eat to the devices we use to communicate. But just as our technology evolves, so too does the approach to making it. But, manufacturing encompasses multiple technologies and disciplines — and change occurs in all of them. Here are the key trends […]

Wendy White, a nationally known food safety expert, has joined the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) as a food safety project manager. In that capacity, she will provide educational outreach and support to help Georgia food manufacturers improve their food safety and quality systems. Prior to joining the GaMEP, White was director of corporate food […]

In April, a group of Georgia Tech students had the opportunity to tour the Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) automotive plant, an impressive facility spanning over 2,300,000 square feet located in West Point, Georgia. Hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Atlanta Section, the tour provided students with an in-depth look into KMMG’s history […]

Recently, the Kellogg’s Bakery in Rome, Georgia, hosted the Northwest Georgia GaMEP Advanced Manufacturing Consortium for a deep dive learning event on, “Predictive Maintenance.” The speaker, Jeff Craig, Reliability and Maintenance Professional with Fuss and O’Neill Manufacturing Solutions, presented to the group on how to create a more efficient and accurate maintenance plan using tools [...]

Lessons from the first female Manufacturing Leadership Certificate graduate With ample experience in manufacturing, Lukisha T. “Shun” Griffin (pictured above) recently became the first woman to earn GaMEP at Georgia Tech’s Manufacturing Leadership Certificate. Knowing she always had a knack for working with machines, Griffin, who is currently studying Industrial Engineering at Kennesaw State University […]

The Innovation Test Track Competition is held each year during the Southern Automotive Conference and encourages companies with innovative products or services that could benefit the automotive industry to pitch their concept to a panel of judges who have a background in innovation. This year, GaMEP project manager, Mike Stonecipher, helped organize the event and […]

Is Online Learning the Right Fit for You? Online learning is not new to education or business. Actually, according to the 2015 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 5.5 million people participated in some form of a class that was offered online. This number continues to grow, according to the Online College Student Survey. There’s been […]

Why You Should Consider an Energy Management System Did you know that the GaMEP Energy and Sustainability Group contributed significantly to the content of the original ISO 50001 standard? Or that ISO 50001 may be able to help your company save a lot of money? Randy Green, GaMEP project manager, has helped many companies throughout the United […]

Originally published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. View the original here. Georgia’s manufacturing industry is at a crossroad. For decades, Georgia has attracted manufacturing investment dollars from across the globe thanks to a large workforce, affordable real estate and robust logistics infrastructure. That favorable climate has attracted billions of dollars of […]

  Manufacturers from across Georgia attend the GaMEP at Georgia Tech open enrollment training course, Lean Boot Camp. Originally published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. View the original here. Working with new and emerging leaders in more than 800 manufacturing plants a year, our team continued to hear, “I have […]

  U.S. Department of Commerce award will support targeted focus on small food and beverage manufacturers in four states. ATLANTA, Ga. (Sept. 12, 2018) — The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech was awarded a $986,805 grant to create a food safety program that will serve small food and beverage manufacturers in Georgia, Iowa, […]

The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech sat down with Chantrey Reece, master scheduler at BorgWarner in Asheville, North Carolina, who recently became the first recipient of the GaMEP Manufacturing Leadership Certificate, to learn what he gained from the program and how he’s using it at BorgWarner. Tell me about yourself. I’ve lived […]

Manufacturers in seven Georgia counties can participate in new program offered by the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership. SAVANNAH, Ga. (Jan. 30, 2018) — The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) is seeking eligible manufacturers to participate in a disaster assistance program designed to help companies that are located in the state’s coastal areas assess their preparedness […]

If you are a small or mid-sized manufacturer in Georgia or North Florida, you may qualify for a no-cost assessment that will identify opportunities to help you save energy, reduce waste, and improve productivity. The assessments are done by staff and students from Georgia Tech, Florida State University, and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). On average, each […]

By: Sam Darwin, GaMEP Lean and Process Improvement Project Manager Are you using Lean as a point solution to try to solve an immediate need, or is it part of your company’s overall strategic plan? Have you discovered how to make Lean sustainable within your organization? Successfully taking the Lean journey takes a commitment from the team […]

Automation. The word and what it represents is driving a lot of discussion about what that means for manufacturers and for those in economic development tasked with bringing industry — and jobs — to their communities. But automation is not the boogeyman people think it is, said Mark Ligler, vice president of Factory Automation Systems. […]

ATLANTA (Aug. 28, 2017) — Georgia is a one of the nation’s leading agriculture states, with the industry contributing about $74.9 billion to the state economy each year. A related sector — food processing — is a strong and growing component of the Georgia economy, and accounts for $11 billion to $12 billion each year […]

On Monday, August 14, 2017, the Georgia Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (GA CATT) program kicked off its second year with a signing ceremony for 21 new apprentices. This year the program expanded from one cluster to three, including students in the Coweta, Rockdale-Newton, and Spalding county areas. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle spoke at the event, […]