The Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC) recently announced through its website that it will be partnering with PMAlliance for the production of a project management webinar series. The inaugural event “Shifting the Worry Curve” will be held on May 30th, 2012 and registration will be handled through IMEC’s website.

“Shifting the Worry Curve” will address ways manufacturers can manage project surprises before they become a last minute problem. Project sponsors, managers, and team members seeking to gain greater insight into successful project management methods should attend this 1-hour webinar.

R.S. Owens & Company has been producing elegant awards and gifts for almost 75 years.

We manufacture many of the world’s most prestigious and celebrated awards, including the Oscar®, Emmy, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the American Idol. Launched in 1938, R.S. Owens is one of the largest manufacturers of upscale awards from raw material to finished product in the world. R.S. Owens is an 82,000 square foot, full-service, union-labor manufacturing facility in Chicago. We take pride in our skilled union artisans and our commitment to American made products.

R.S. Owens’ capabilities include mold-making, cast and metal fabrication, electro-plating in silver, 24k gold, and 30 other finishes, resin casting and finishing, art glass fusion and slumping, glass photo frames, portrait folders, fine chocolate and other edible gifts, photo cast metal etching, screen printing, and laser engraving.

Contact R.S Owens:
773-282-6000
www.rsowens.com

Interested in joining the Made in Illinois program? Click here to begin promoting your company today.

Sycamore, Illinois – manufacturer of press-fit metal fastening and joining components for the automotive industry, industrial, medical, department of defense and other sectors http://www.driv-lok.com

What are the Benefits of Liking Our Facebook Page?

A company launches a Facebook page not only to generate additional exposure for its business, but to provide a vehicle for its customers to have a deeper, more personal level of interaction with the company and its employees.   On IMEC’s Facebook page you will find tips and trends for improving operating performance that you may not necessarily see on our website, Twitter, or YouTube pages.   This information includes profiles of improvement projects, current industrial news, IMEC blogs, IMEC’s “Manufacturer of the Week,” and links to other Illinois manufacturing companies.   

Strategically, there are several advantages for an Illinois manufacturer to consider “liking” IMEC’s Facebook page.  You can interact more directly with our team, offer feedback on posts, or ask questions on our wall.    Here’s perhaps the most critical benefit of becoming socially active with IMEC.  While many manufacturers have made great strides in developing a web presence, far too many do not leverage the power of collaborating with other manufacturers to share solutions to common problems or to communicate about best practices.   At IMEC, our hope is to create an active network of participating Illinois manufacturing companies that will connect with one another for business opportunities….all through the IMEC Facebook portal.

If you don’t have a Facebook presence, we can help you develop one.   If you are active on social media, please “LIKE” IMEC.  In time, you will see the benefits.

High Performance Burners in Rockford, IL

Eclipse offers the very best in combustion products, systems, and technical service for customers around the globe. From engineered systems to custom configured products, the solutions-based approach of Eclipse produces highly safe, reliable, efficient, and clean-burning equipment for a wide range of heating applications.

Eclipse is the global source for state-of-the-art, high performance, and low emission burners, including air heating, furnace, immersion, infrared, and oxy-fuel burners used in all types of industrial heating processes. Eclipse technology is prominent in the automotive, commercial heating, finishing, food, glass, industrial drying, metals, petroleum and petrochemical, power generation, and alternative fuels industries.

Contact Eclipse Inc:
1665 Elmwood Road
Rockford, IL 61103
815-877-3031
www.eclipsenet.com

Custom Fiberglass Products in Rockford, IL

We are a leading manufacturer of fiberglass snow poles, marker reflectors, delineators, replacement handles, and mop and broom handles. We have the capacity to produce a variety of pultruded products to suit many applications. Contact us for your next fiberglass project. We specialize in custom profiles.

Fiberglass Innovations manufactures products that are:
• More flexible
• Longer lasting
• Offered in a variety of lengths and colors
• Lower in maintenance than other materials
• Non-conductive to electricity
• Lighter and easier to work with

Contact Fiberglass Innovations:
2219 Kishwaukee St
Rockford, IL 61104
Phone: 815-962-9338
Fax: 815-962-9353
www.fiberglassinnovations.com

Interested in joining the Made in Illinois program? Click here to register and begin promoting your busienss today.

I talk to manufacturers who have many great ideas on to grow their businesses. They often include things such as entering new markets, introducing new products, adopting new sales and marketing strategies and acquiring new businesses. However, in smaller manufacturing companies, there is rarely one individual responsible for prioritizing, planning and leading the team through these growth strategies. As a result, many of those activities never reach their full potential.

Consider the risks, in a small company, with sharing the responsibility for growth strategies among several people in the company:

The Sycamore-based manufacturer of metal fastening and joining components cut inventory costs, reduced machine set-ups, and saved on tooling with help from a team of specialists from IMEC and Kishwaukee College.

Ameren’s ActOnEnergy® helps manufacturers use less…save more

The Ameren Illinois ActOnEnergy® program offers a variety of cash incentives and resources to help your manufacturing business invest in smart energy solutions.  Manufacturing operations are among the most energy-intensive businesses, so there’s great potential to improve efficiency.  Energy-efficient upgrades can lower your energy bills and maintenance costs by thousands of dollars each year.  No matter the size of your business, we’re focused on helping you save more and boost your bottom line.

Cash incentives are available for a variety of manufacturing and industrial facility projects, including:

• No-cost/low-cost energy efficiency improvements
• Compressed air leak survey and repair
• Steam trap survey and replacement
• Variable frequency drive (VFD) installs
• Lighting upgrades
• HVAC and water heater replacements
• Custom projects

For more information or to get started, visit ActOnEnergy.com/Business or call 1.866.800.0747

Real Customers – Real Results

• Continental Tire in Mount Vernon received over $235,000 in cash incentives to repair compressed air leaks in their facility – they now save $200,000 annually on their energy bills!
• With the help of more than $40,000 in cash incentives, a central Illinois manufacturer installed VFDs on three pump motors and lowered their annual energy bills by $65,000!
• A small manufacturing company in west-central Illinois used over $2,000 in cash incentives to replace three boilers – saving them more than $1,000 per year!

Want more Real Results?  Download case studies at ActOnEnergy.com/RealResults.