The Chicago Metro Metal Consortium (CMMC) is looking forward to strengthening the region's metal manufacturing sector with you in 2017!

If you're not familiar with our work or have been out of the loop, here's a quick snapshot of the Chicago Metro Metal Consortium (CMMC):
  • CMMC supports the Chicago metal cluster, which is anchored by fabricated metals and machinery, representing over 4,000 firms, $25 billion in revenue, and 110,000 employees.
  • CMMC offers manufacturers resources to grow their businesses through collaboration, networking, grants, and market intelligence.
  • The U.S. Department of Commerce designated CMMC an "Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership" in 2014 and again in 2016.
  • CMMC supports metal manufacturers in workforce, innovation, and international trade and investment.
  • CMMC participated in national Manufacturing Day, designed to promote careers in manufacturing, with over 55 events in the region. Check out this short video about CMMC and our partner DesignHouse's Women in Metals Jam.
As we turn our attention to 2017, CMMC will continue to support the region's metal manufacturing cluster by strategically and efficiently aligning stakeholder efforts, offering resources and services to local firms, and promoting the region as a leading center for manufacturing.
Irene Sherr, Assistant Deputy Bureau Chief for Cook County's Bureau of Economic Development, and Vanessa Uribe, CMMC Program Manager, at Sciaky located in Chicago, home of the largest 3D printer in North America!

Please be on the lookout for more information about upcoming events and opportunities, and see our latest newsletter below.

Also, if you have specific feedback on how CMMC can support your work then make sure to email us to let us know!

Best,

Vanessa Uribe
CMMC Program Manager  
CMMC Partners Leverage $8M for Chicago's Southland

 
OAI, Inc. and Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC), both CMMC partners, have leveraged $8M from the U.S. Department of Labor to invest in manufacturing workforce programs in Chicago's Southland.   
 
OAI, Inc. shop class
OAI, Inc. launched the $4 million  Strengthening Working Families in Chicago Southland (SWFCS) initiative to strengthen the connections between  the workforce development and child care systems. The program will target families living in the 43 south Cook County communities served by the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA).

IMEC, in partnership with Calumet Area Industrial Commission and Chicago Federation of Labor, will also utilize their $4 million America's Promise grant to help individuals located in the communities of the southeast side of Chicago and Southern suburbs of Cook County develop the skills for employment in manufacturing.
  
These programs will bring together an extensive set of partners, including CMMC, centered on strengthening the local workforce pipeline and addressing the employment needs of manufacturers.
  
Chicago Metro Metal Consortium (CMMC) utilized its federal IMCP designation to support both applications.
mHUB Driving Innovation in Chicago Region

  
mHUB is a co-working space for physical product development
mHUB, CMMC partner, recently received a $500,000 i6 Challenge grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program - the first ever i6 grant awarded to an Illinois innovation center - to foster innovation in manufacturing and help entrepreneurs build businesses and create new jobs. It will aid in building out the mHUB facility, supporting vital education programs and assist in securing advanced prototyping equipment necessary for driving innovation in the Chicagoland area. mHUB, which was announced in August, is on track to officially launch in early 2017. CMMC, with its federal IMCP designation, also supported this proposal.
Fellows in Residence Engage Manufacturers on Digital Needs
 

DMDII will host an IMEC "fellow" as part of this program

at the Chicago Goose Island facility
Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) and the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) received a $1.2 million grant  by the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) to support the efforts of Manufacturing USA, a network comprising nine public-private research institutes, including DMDII, dedicated to advancing manufacturing innovation, education and collaboration. These funds will support a "Fellow in Residence" at DMDII to engage small and medium-sized manufacturers on their digital readiness and needs.  
University of Illinois Project Helps D efense Industry Contractors Diversify Markets
 
On December 12, in conjunction with the University of Illinois, CMMC and Alliance for Industry and Manufacturing (AIM), convened local manufacturers in the defense industry supply chain to discuss the resources and information they need to grow their markets in the event of a reduction or changes in future Department of Defense spending. This work is being led by the University of Illinois as part of a $5 million grant by the U.S. Department of Defense to assist Illinois communities that have been adversely impacted by changes in federal defense spending. Read more about the Illinois Defense Industry Adjustment program and  click here to see related information about community and economic development in northeast Illinois.
 German Transatlantic Cluster Initiative
  
Launched by the  German American Chamber of Commerce    (GACC), the transatlantic cluster  initiative  partnered with CMMC to bring together leading German and U.S. metalworking businesses, economic development, workforce and academic professionals to promote knowledge exchange through content-driven encounters. Following the German delegation's visit to Chicago and participation in a Metalworking Conference in July 2016, a CMMC delegation visited Germany to participate in metalworking clusterconferences, site visits to
CMMC delegation, from left to right, 1st row: Irene Sherr, CMMC; Jessica Ferklass, GACC; Svenja Schroeder, GACC; Raquel Chole, Dudek and Bock; From left to right, 2nd row: Kathy Dudek, Dudek and Bock; Scott Miller, The Innovation Machine; Tom Peters, Symbol Training Institute; Mike Moffa, Freedman Seating; Lisa Reijula, Metro Chicago Exports; and Debbie VanSickle, Invest Aurora
manufacturers, and networking opportunities from November 14-18, 2016.
 
The CMMC delegation travelled with professors f rom Case Western Reserve University as well as metal and machinery manufacturers from Cleveland, OH, Pittsburgh, PA, and upstate New York.  Tom Peters, Symbol Training Institute, observed in an interview with Crain's Chicago 
Business that Germany seems to have "more of a spirit of collaboration" between the government and manufacturers than in the U.S. CMMC plans to use German metal cluster organizations as a model for its future plans.

 
CMMC Updates and Upcoming Events
 
Local Workforce Scan Underway
World Business Chicago, along with support from the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership and CMMC, is conducting a workforce scan of Cook County to better understand the manufacturing workforce ecosystem and develop a catalog of resources for manufacturers and partners.
 
CMMC/Choose DuPage Manufacturer Forum
March 2017 @ DuPage County
CMMC will gather DuPage County metal manufacturers, as well as industry partners, to hear directly from employers about how to support the region's metal manufacturing cluster. Stay tuned.
The Chicago Metro Metal Consortium (CMMC) works to strengthen the region's 4000 metal manufacturing firms. CMMC offers metal manufacturers the tools, services and resources to improve and grow their businesses through collaboration and networking, market intelligence and promotion of the region as the nation's leading center for manufacturing. 
Copyright © January 2017. All Rights Reserved.