Fulton County manufacturers who want to develop new products, reduce costs, and increase efficiency and profits have vast resources across New York State available to them.
The Advanced Institute for Manufacturing (AIM) at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) in Utica, just an hour from Fulton County, is part of the 11-center statewide network of the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). The goal of this Empire State Development (ESD) program is to provide growth and innovation services to businesses, and AIM’s staff stands ready to boost the growth of manufacturing companies.
“We have a mission to provide manufacturing, consulting, training, and technology development services to the small- to medium-sized manufacturers in the six-county Mohawk Valley region,” said Cory Albrecht, AIM’s director. In addition to Fulton County, AIM serves Herkimer, Oneida, Montgomery, Otsego, and Schoharie counties.
AIM’s staff seeks to connect with the region’s 600-plus manufacturers to learn the needs of their specific businesses and how AIM’s offerings can help them to meet those needs to promote growth. “Our role is very hands-on as far as what we do when we bring our resources,” said Jeff Grimshaw, AIM’s business development manager. “We approach the organization from their level, meeting people where they’re at and really investigating what they do, how they do it, and what the time-saving opportunities are,” he said. He cited the example of AIM staff working with one company for two hours a week over a six-week period, and at the end, they had come up with 26 strategies for cost savings and process improvements.
“We work with the organization—actually become embedded in the organization, going there on a regular basis,” Grimshaw said.
“We work with the organization—actually become embedded in the organization, going there on a regular basis,” Grimshaw said.
AIM offers business services that include strategic, sales, succession, and disaster recovery planning. It offers a wide range of courses for company’s employees, such as Lean Six Sigma Certification, Website Development, CNC Training/Shop Math, Safe Quality Food, OSHA Safety Training and Environmental Compliancy. AIM provides training and other services that address process improvement and quality. In addition, AIM also does customized workforce development training.
Partnering with local community colleges in the region, including MVCC and Fulton County Community College, AIM provides additional classes and other resources for employers. For example, AIM’s clients have access to MVCC’s FABLab, where they can use design engineering and prototyping equipment, including 3D printing in metal.
Another of AIM’s services is apprenticeship programs in advanced manufacturing, information technology, healthcare, and other sectors, with $11,000,000 in funding available. The apprenticeships are designed to increase workforce skills and productivity and lower turnover rates. Up to $5,000 per apprentice is available for related instruction and up to $500 per person for a pre-apprenticeship program.
Each MEP center has its own “priority industry cluster.” AIM’s is Manufacturing Cybersecurity & IP Protection. “Small and midsized manufacturers, depending on the report you’re reading, are either number two or three on the most targeted list for some type of malicious attack,” Albrecht said, noting that most manufacturers this size are not prepared for a cyberattack, many of which come from internal sources. “We do have a full suite of programs and services which we can implement,” he said. AIM helps companies assess risk and vulnerabilities, test system penetration, educate and train employees in cybersecurity, and review security policies. In 2019, ESD awarded AIM a Department of Defense (DoD) Cybersecurity Assistance Grant. With these funds, AIM assisted 32 DoD manufacturers with cybersecurity issues.
As part of a statewide network, AIM has access to the resources of the other nine regional MEP centers as well as the statewide MEP center, which translates into a wealth of expertise, programs, and services for companies. When a business has a unique need, AIM works with its sister centers to identify the available resources and bring those to the region. “It allows me to leverage a tremendous amount of expertise to support a manufacturer’s business objectives,” Albrecht said.
The broad industry experience of AIM’s staff, combined with its access to extensive resources for promoting business growth, make AIM an extremely valuable asset to area manufacturers. “Our mission is to connect with manufacturers, provide manufacturing consulting, workforce development, and technology services so that we can help them grow their businesses, develop new products, become more efficient, reduce their costs, and drive revenue and growth,” Albrecht said.
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