U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

MEP Success Stories from Illinois

Be Found Online

Reported Year
2023
Looking to branch out and reach more markets, Spoerer felt that the next step would be to upgrade her website and eCommerce marketplace. At the time, IMEC, part of the MEP National Network™, had recently released their “Cook County Manufacturing Reinvented Grant”, designed to help small to mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs) with funding for projects to

Maximize Your Potential

Reported Year
2023
Howe Corporation started their connection with IMEC, part of the MEP National Network™, back in 2014. Initially connecting with IMEC through a grant, their initial projects were focused on plant layout and lean. Howe stayed connected with IMEC to continue to find ways to grow and, in the past 3 years, they’ve collaborated on projects such as ISO

Grey Iron Casting Company Develops and Grows Their Online Presence

Reported Year
2022
Lemfco, Inc. was striving to grow their online presence, specifically in the marketing realm. Social media has grown to be a major contributor for sales growth and brand awareness, and Lemfco was looking to occupy some of that space. Lemfco has history working with IMEC, part of the MEP National Network™, and turned to the IMEC team for help with

Illinois Plastic Injection Molding company implements 5S Workplace Organization and Kaisen to eliminate wastes, improve productivity and efficiency, and boost employee satisfaction.

Reported Year
2022
Workplace organization is the key to success in any industry. Aztec Plastic Company saw an opportunity to improve the organization and flow of the workspace in their machining area. In an effort to set and maintain new standards that would eliminate wasted time, space, and inventory, and create an environment where employees can participate in

Drywall Manufacturer Improves Workplace Culture and Employee Engagement

Reported Year
2020
Trim-Tex was determined to break away from the traditional “command and control” manufacturing mindset and create a more collaborative and engaged work environment. The organization has been on a journey to become a lean manufacturer with a lean mindset. Leadership knew they needed engaged employees who can continue to improve the business in order

Champaign Precision Machine Shop Sees New Growth

Reported Year
2022
The leadership team at Wagner Machine Co. has recognized the value of maintaining a robust quality management system for many years. They had previously worked with IMEC, part of the MEP National Network™, on other projects, so reaching out to them about ISO 9001:2015 certification was an obvious move. Shortly into the process, they learned of a

Machine Tool Manufacturer Adopts New Workforce Processes

Reported Year
2021
Institutional knowledge is a risk in any organization. Leadership at Bourn and Koch realized the risks they faced with the lack of well-documented, standardized key steps for their manufacturing build process and an aging workforce. They needed to find a way to continuously transfer knowledge to the next generation of workers. The standard work