What's Happening at MAMe?
The MAMe Health Insurance Plan will be announced at the Manufacturing Summit on May 5th! Plan to send an HR staff or person in charge of benefits to the Summit to learn about the partial self-funded health care plan! Two educational sessions will be held on the health plan.
MAMe was recently awarded a Medical Device Manufacturing Cluster feasibility study grant from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI). The project will be launched in April with outreach and assessment of Maine’s medical device industry and an understanding of areas to help Maine company’s growth in the expanding field! More on this coming soon!
The MAMe Compliance Plus Program design team will meet on March 24 at MAMe to begin designing the MAMe Compliance Plus Program!
We are keeping up with a number of legislative activities regarding the business community and manufacturing including tax policies, the Chemical bill and other relevant legislative bills.
Check out http://www.maine.gov/legis/ for the list of bills, hearings and status that pertain to the business and manufacturing community.
A number of companies have joined MAMe! Just in the month of March the following companies have joined including Fancy Stitchers, AirGas East, RE-Gen, Solaris, LLC and Alec McKenzie Design, LLC. We are thrilled with the major increase in membership!
Mame would like to offer our sincere thanks to the following:
• The MAMe board of directors for all the hard work in chairing MAMe committees that help grow our association—education, insurance, summit, business services, annual meeting, golf/scholarship. It’s lots of work and we couldn’t do it with the board and volunteer members!
• Maine Biz for hosting a great networking event at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland!
• Linda Caprara, Maine State Chamber, for addressing the Chemical bill and the importance of the bill to manufacturers in Maine.
• And the following organizations for agreeing to partner with MAMe at the Manufacturing Summit on May 5th!
- Bioplastics Council of Maine
- Bioscience Assoc. of Maine
- Maine Food Producers Alliance
- Maine Composites Alliance
- Maine Marine Trades Assoc.
- Maine Pulp and Paper Assoc.
- Maine Wind Industry Initiative
- Maine Wood Products Assoc.
Please check our calendar of events for upcoming tours, events, seminars and manufacturing summit!
MEAA Update
ASA:
We have a great program outlined in the Aerospace States Association (ASA) Manufacturing Committee Report of which Rich Grich is a committee member. The Charter of the Committee is to “Improve the global competitiveness of U.S. Small to Medium Size aerospace manufacturers in such a way that will benefit local, regional and national economic interests”. The linked presentation was given to the Aerospace States Association by Robert E. Mansfield, Jr., Brig Gen, USAF (Ret) who chairs the Manufacturing Committee. More to come on the ASA Business Meeting and Election of Officers in the next news letter.
NASA Solicitations:
The following NASA Solicitations were presented to members and the University of Maine for their consideration in the last month:
Signal Conditioner Amplifiers, Ocean Color & Biogeochemistry, NASA Acquisition of Nitrogen and Oxygen, 50 Caliber Barrel Machining, LN2 Bulk Tank Deliveries, Vectran Webbing, NASA Center For Innovative Opportunities, Innovative Advanced Concepts NASA Research Announcement, Teaming Opportunity to Develop & Characterize Boron Nitride Nanotubes for Aerospace and Space Applications, Teaming Opportunity for Nano Materials based Superstructure, Draft Teaming Opportunity for NASA Langley Research Center hosting Atmospheric Composition Payload, Teaming opportunity for NANOMAT, Independent Assessments for systems analysis & Concepts development and 68” Carbon Fiber Sphere.
Aerospace Lab:
We are trying to get funding for an Aerospace Navigation, Electronics and Timing (ANET) Laboratory at the University of Maine. If you are interested in supporting this effort please contact Rich Grich, MEAA or David Rubenstein, Maine Aerospace Consulting.
What's Happening in BGS?
Trade Show Market Intelligence
Spring is always a good time to assess trade show marketing opportunities for the coming year - not just as an exhibitor but also as an attendee. Manufacturers often schedule themselves to exhibit in shows targeted at a repeat audience in one traditional market. This is very useful for building brand awareness and relationships, but can be expensive relative to incremental sales.
Manufacturers might consider walking shows targeted at non-traditional markets to assess opportunities for new product development in that market or to meet with exhibitors who need those products. For example: It would not be unusual for a welding shop to discover at the World of Concrete show at the Atlanta Congress center that a new scaffolding design was needed for slip form building construction. These shows are also an efficient venue for understanding distribution channels in new markets and launching face to face relationships.
Travel is expensive but a little planning can make attendance at multiple shows in the same trip possible. I always try to research other meetings or shows scheduled for the conference center in the same week as my target event. Last year this allowed me to attend four major defense supply, hardware, home builders, and outdoor recreation shows in the same week without changing hotels. This year we will save on booth transportation by exhibiting in back to back non- related industry shows in Louisville KY.
Whether exhibiting or visiting - maximizing your trade show ROI requires a plan. MAMe’s BGS consultants are available to help organize your effort. Just give us a call and we can discuss how best to bring home new business for your company.
A. Neal Prescott
Managing Director
Novatec Braids Ltd.
prescott@novabraid.com
Members in the News
LAI International representative named to Nadcap council
SCARBOROUGH, MAINE, March 18, 2011 — LAI International, Inc., a strategic supplier of precision components and subassemblies for original equipment manufacturers, announced Rick Scott, quality manager of Rich Technology International, an LAI company, was appointed to the Nadcap Management Council at the recent Nadcap Performance Institute's Supplier Symposium in Barcelona, Spain.
Scott also represents LAI International on two special task groups and as a member of a supplier support committee for non-conventional machining suppliers. Rich Technology International's manufacturing facility is located in Scarborough, Maine.
The Nadcap Management Council is comprised of senior quality leaders and managers of 40 prime contractors and seven supplier representatives from Europe, Asia and the Americas. The group met in Barcelona Feb. 28 - March 4, 2011.
The council is the managing body of Nadcap, the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program, a global cooperative standards-setting program for aerospace engineering, defense and related industries. The Nadcap program, as a part of PRI, was created in 1990 by the Society of Automotive Engineers and is headquartered in Warrendale, Penn.
Nadcap's members convene to coordinate industry-wide standards for special processes and products. Through the Performance Review Institute, Nadcap provides independent certification of manufacturing processes for the industry.
LAI International announced last year that its Maine production facility had become the world’s first manufacturer to achieve Nadcap certification for conventional machining. The company's Nadcap-accredited conventional machining processes include broaching, edge treatment, hole-making, grinding, milling and turning.
All of LAI International’s five manufacturing facilities are certified to IS0 9001:2008 and AS9100. In addition to Nadcap certification for conventional machining, Rich Technology International also is Nadcap certified for non-conventional machining, including laser machining, welding and electrical discharge machining or EDM. LAI Southwestern Laser, LAI International’s facility in Tucson, Ariz., also is Nadcap certified for laser machining.
Indentity Theft
500 Million Sensitive Records Breached Since 2005
Copyright © 2010-2011
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse / UCAN
Posted August 26, 2010
The most recent total from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse’s Chronology of Data Breaches shows more than a half billion sensitive records breached since 2005, leaving Americans vulnerable to identity theft.
Employees losing laptop computers, hackers downloading credit card numbers and sensitive personal data accidentally exposed online -- the Chronology of Data Breaches shows hundreds of ways that the personal information of consumers is lost, stolen or exposed.
The Chronology of Data Breaches, a project of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse since 2005, lists incidents involving breached consumer information, such as personal medical records, credit card numbers and Social Security numbers. The most recent total, published August 24, 2010, is a wake-up call to consumers who "think" identity theft can’t happen to them.
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse estimates that the Chronology shows only a fraction of the total number of data breaches.
"This is a conservative number," says Director Beth Givens, "We generally learn about breaches that garner media attention.Unfortunately, many do not. And, because many states do not require companies to report data breaches to a central clearinghouse, data breaches occur that we never hear about. Our Chronology is only a sampling."
Data breaches of sensitive information, especially Social Security and credit card numbers, make consumers vulnerable to identity theft. According to a 2009 Javelin Research & Strategy, individuals are four times more likely to be the victim of identity theft in the year after receiving a data breach notification letter.
The recently expanded Chronology provides consumers and researchers the ability to perform rapid searches to identify trends in data breaches. It also allows visitors to look up businesses, agencies and organizations by name.
Unfortunately, consumers cannot completely protect themselves from a data breach. It is up to organizations that collect data on consumers to take the steps to ensure the privacy and security of the data they collect and maintain.
For more information on Identity Theft and becoming Red Flags Rule compliant, contact:
Regina Krause-Consultant
Maine Business and Employee Solutions
207-504-2990-direct
maineemployeesolutions@yahoo.com