From offices in Boise, Post Falls, Twin Falls, and Pocatello, TechHelp Specialists help Idaho manufacturers, food processors and entrepreneurs improve their competitiveness through continuous product and process innovation.

// Why TechHelp

Your Trusted Idaho Manufacturing Advisors

From university-based offices in Boise, Post Falls, Twin Falls, and Pocatello, TechHelp Specialists help Idaho manufacturers, food processors, and entrepreneurs produce products and improve their competitiveness through continuous product and process innovation.
If you have questions or need help, CONTACT US:
(208) 426-3767 or admin@techhelp.org or click the button above. 

Our Specialists Are...

  • Experienced 
  • Responsive
  • Trusted
  • Collaborative
  • Innovative
  • Local

We work with innovative Idaho companies including DECKED of Ketchum, Idaho.

DECKED truck tool box partner

Upcoming Events

// our clients

In Our Client's Words

Al Youngwerth
Al Youngwerth
Founder of Rekluse & Versabuilt
"Without TechHelp, Rekluse would not exist"
Chris Rodgers
Chris Rodgers
Creator of Rapid Rope
“TechHelp was willing to work with me at my own pace on little pieces of the product at a time. It was great working with the entire NPD team, including the students and management. The whole process was awesome”
Calvin Allan
Calvin Allan
Engineering Director, DECKED
"As rapid prototyping continues to mature and services become a commodity, I continue to look for areas of differentiation. TechHelp’s small size and focus on client relationships sets them apart from the "Big Box" service providers. "
Charlotte Armstrong
Charlotte Armstrong
Owner, Cowboy Tom’s Flapjacks
“TechHelp has been a wonderful asset to our business. With each meeting, new and different ideas come to the surface. Their guidance and direction have been invaluable.”
Mark Melni
Mark Melni
Inventor of Connector & Owner of Melni LLC
“I wonder what Tesla or Edison might have done with a resource like the TechHelp New Product Development Team. Without them, the Connector would still be just an idea in my head. ” – Mark Melni, Inventor,Melni LLC
Caleb Chung
Caleb Chung
Co Founder It's Alive Labs
"The TechHelp/NPD lab consistently goes beyond our expectations year after year. We have come to rely on their 3d printing and the engineering knowledge to support the continuing development of advanced materials and processes. This is a capital expense many small companies cannot make. Whatever is necessary to ensure the continuation and growth of this service has become a critical need for our success. Without them I don't know how we would have gotten off the ground."
// latest case studies

Some of Our Work With Manufacturers

TechHelp team members help Idaho’s most innovative entrepreneurs and manufacturers make productive investments in their plants, people, products, and processes. Our work helps Idaho companies generate sales, efficiency, quality, profits, and jobs. Listed below are some examples of our work with clients. 

Latest News and Information

Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt Certification Course Begins January 17 at Idaho Manufacturing Alliance HQ in Nampa

TechHelp and the Idaho Manufacturing Alliance will offer a Public Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Course (LSSGB) at IMA’s HQ in Nampa with full-day sessions on 1/17, 1/31, 2/14, and 3/6 of 2024. Lean Six Sigma is a well-known approach for achieving operational excellence that combines the process improvement benefits of Lean with the statistical process control benefits of Six Sigma. The course includes time between sessions for participants to complete workplace projects.
There has never been a better time to apply the principles of Lean Six Sigma in your organization. With today’s tight labor market and supply chain challenges, Lean can help your company become a more attractive employer and a stronger competitor. Luke Fuess and Janna Hamlett of TechHelp, the University of Idaho, and the legendary Lean practitioner Gene Hamacher will lead the course and provide LSSGB project support.

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Winter Food Newsletter from Dr. J

I hope the weather is not treating you too harshly as we enter the holiday season.
We are thrilled to announce that our team has expanded with the arrival of Stuart Walker, a 28-year research and development veteran in the food industry. Stuart joined TechHelp as a Food Specialist in October of 2023 after working for almost 12 years at the renowned Litehouse Food Company in Sandpoint, Idaho. He looks forward to utilizing his extensive food formulation and manufacturing knowledge and background to help solve the current problems being experienced by Idaho food manufacturers. Stuart will be based in Boise but will serve Idaho food processors statewide.

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Veteran’s Day 2023 – Thank You Veterans!

TechHelp, Idaho’s Manufacturing Extension Partner (MEP) thanks our veterans for their service to our nation. We are also thankful for those veterans who apply the skills, expertise, and ideas they developed in the service to their jobs and companies. Mike Atwood of Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU) is one example of a Veteran who leaned on his service experience to create excellent night vision products with applications in the civilian world. As a former AH-64 Apache pilot, Mike founded ASU in 1995 and worked with government agencies to allow unrestricted NVG use among first responders and law enforcement agencies.

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Dr. Janna Hamlett Article in Food Safety Magazine Has Tips to Overcome Supply Chain Challenges for Food Manufacturers

Supply chain constraints are not a new challenge in the food industry. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic created additional hardships, the food industry has always had to deal with difficulties in the supply chain. Food is a global market, and even the smallest food processor brings in food ingredients, packaging, and equipment from around the world. The food industry is not immune to environmental disasters or political unrest in the global environment. Since the food supply chain is very complex with multiple stakeholders, processors, brokers, and transportation involved, it is susceptible to turbulence and instability.

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TechHelp – Out and About in Idaho During Spring of 2023

The TechHelp Team participated in a number of manufacturing related events during the spring of 2023. It was great to visit many parts of the great state of Idaho and to visit with manufacturers and colleagues. It is amazing to see how much great work is taking place across the state and the wealth of resources available to help manufacturers succeed.

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ONLINE FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food Course with Dr. Janna Hamlett

The FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act – Preventive Controls for Human Food requires processing facilities to have at least one Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) on staff to oversee the food safety plan and system.

Our upcoming online FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food Course is one way to gain that credential. This FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food course is the “standardized curriculum” recognized by the FDA. This course covers regulation Title 21 CFR 117 – Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food.

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Dr. Janna Hamlett Article in Food Safety Magazine on The Value of Mistake Proofing

People make mistakes—more often than we might like to think. Studies have shown that no matter how well-trained a worker is, or how well-maintained the equipment is, errors still occur. Tasks are forgotten, and equipment breaks. Standard work and “one right way” can help reduce errors.

Mistake proofing, also known by its Japanese equivalent, “poka-yoke,” is a method used to reduce or eliminate errors, or to make those errors immediately obvious. Ensuring that non-conforming product is never created—or at least never arrives at customers’ doorsteps—is invaluable in the food industry. Reduced downgrade, less rework, and decreased out-of-specification product are all benefits of mistake proofing.

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