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Get a Grip: Fiber Reaper and MMEC Partner on Innovative Cable Clamp
With the help of: Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC)
About
The Challenge
Fiber Reaper has made significant progress in the development and testing of its product. However, as a two-person company, the Holms quickly realized that it would be extremely helpful to have support for many of the other tasks related to commercialization, such as developing the supply chain for the clamp components and navigating the patent application process.
The MMEC Team has been instrumental in helping us get our business up and running. We could not have completed our patent application or filed internationally without the help of MMEC. They helped us to save an incredible amount of time and money with their expertise and industry knowledge, and the streamlined process made huge impacts to our bottom line.
MEP's Role
Fiber Reaper partnered with the Montana Manufacturer Extension Center (MMEC), part of the MEP National Network™, on several projects to help the company move forward. Business Advisor Lane Gobbs first focused on identifying, researching, and obtaining quotes from contract manufacturers who could provide the metal pieces used in the tool. Sharing his own industry experience, Gobbs offered recommendations for improvements in the company’s initial production design.
By partnering with MMEC, the Fiber Reaper team could focus on the central product development tasks while still making progress on business development and commercialization activities. Moreover, the changes in design for manufacturing and having production ready blueprints resulted in valuable cost savings and quality improvements for the start-up.