Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development maintains a network of industrial resource centers (IRCs) that are operated as nonprofit corporations managed by the private sector but with financial support from the state. These IRCs all have a similar mission: to help small and medium-sized manufacturers adopt world-class technologies and techniques—technologies and techniques that will lead to organizational excellence. The principles of total quality are the heart of the IRCs’ purpose.

Typical of these IRCs is the Northwest Industrial Resource Center (NWIRC) which serves an area consisting of 13 primarily rural counties that encompass approximately 2,000 manufacturing enterprises. Services provided fall into two broad categories: (1) business growth services and (2) manufacturing excellence services.

Business growth services include those that help small and medium-sized manufacturers grow their principle product line (e.g., strategic planning, sales and marketing, new product development, and succession planning).

Manufacturing excellence services, such as lean manufacturing, value-stream mapping, ISO support, and continual quality improvement, include those that help improve quality and productivity.

QUESTIONS

1. What kind of non-technology-oriented help might be needed by a small manufacturer?

2. How could the IRC model be applied to the service sector and other nonmanufacturing companies?