Alliance asking local manufacturers to position
area as potential site for emerging industries
KOKOMO, IN – Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance and the Krannert School of Management Purdue University are asking key Howard County area manufacturers to participate in a collaborative project that will enable North Central Indiana to seize a competitive position in several emerging industries and markets.
The Alliance and Krannert are spearheading an Economic Development Supply Chain Transformation Project that will assess local manufacturing capability, which traditionally has been tied to the automotive industry. The results of the project will be used to determine how local manufacturing capability can be matched and/or easily adapted to emerging industries such as wind and solar energy, medical and medical devices, and the next generation of advanced automotive manufacturing.
“The project will develop a picture of supply chain capabilities in the region by identifying a single company or groups of companies meeting specified capabilities to produce a product or service,” Jeb Conrad, Alliance president and CEO, said. “While many communities believe they have something to offer companies interested in locating to their areas, none that we are aware of are actually able to share supported data regarding capabilities as a pro-active selling point. This will give our community a huge competitive advantage.”
Each participating company will be asked to supply information regarding its firm, and will receive feedback regarding applicability and the potential for a capability match in the industries evaluated as part of the project. “All company information received will be held strictly confidential and shared only in aggregate form,” Don McCreary,
Supply Chain Transformation Project manager, said. “Individual company information will never be shared.”
The project will enable the Alliance to showcase the Howard County area’s potential to match the needs of companies considering industrial locations. The traditional components of a response to a request for proposal describe the region, its population, and skill base in general and industrial sites.
“We believe a proposal, which includes a match between the requesting customer’s needs, available suppliers’ capabilities, as well as possible skill development investments by state and local authorities to match customer requirements, will permit a unique representation of our area’s potential,” Conrad said.
The project treats company capability as a starting point that can be adjusted based on supply chain opportunity. A particular emphasis will be proactive training, certification, and education of identified companies to increase the creation of successful new supply chains.
The project is funded by grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation and Duke Energy.
“We are excited about the far reaching potential this project may hold for our community and the people it serves,” Conrad said. “We believe local companies will join with us in our enthusiasm, and take the next step towards helping to build a brighter future for the Kokomo/Howard County region.”
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