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For the United States to live up to President Obama's goal of doubling exports over the next five years, American companies will have to deploy a sophisticated set of capabilities beyond developing and manufacturing products that the rest of the world wants to buy, according to Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric. U.S. companies will need "exceptional capabilities" in marketing, sales, support and financing.

Immelt recently described his experience trying to close a deal for a nuclear plant in Abu Dhabi. "I went in after French President Sarkozy and the president of Korea," he recalled. "I'm not bad, but I don't rule anything. I don't have an army. I can't trade planes and stuff like that."

Immelt was quick to note that not having the U.S. government involved is not an excuse for GE losing contracts. "GE is big enough that we can never use that as an excuse," he says. "We can fight our own way by and large, but for the thousands of small businesses who also want to be global players, a big umbrella of the U.S. is quite powerful and necessary."

As leader of GE, a company that is already a major player in the global market, Imelt is concerned that protectionism could rear its ugly head in the U.S. and trip firms like his that are making the effort to go global.  "What keeps me up at night is where does an angry developed world population with 10 percent unemployment and big structural issues force their governments to go in a world where my destiny has to be globalization" due to the fact that there are billions more customers overseas than in America, he says. "The next decade is going to be wild, but it's not for the faint of heart and you're going to have to travel to get there."

TechHelp plays an important role in helping Idaho manufacturers and processors identify and reap export opportunities. The Center works with all of the major export players in Idaho to provide education, information and assistance that will help companies maximize export potential. "Too many small business owners/managers are stymied by the percieved risk and complexity of exporting," says TechHelp Marketing Manager, Bill Mullane.  There has never been a better time to enter the export fray

• The "developing world" is, well, developing. Countries such as India, China and Brazil have huge and growing middle class populations hungry for a better quality of life.
• The European Union with its common currency, standards and use of English presents a juicy target for exporters.
• The relatively weak US Dollar makes US goods more affordable around the world.
• Shipping companies such as FedEx and UPS can take the complexity out of getting your goods overseas.
• Local export assistance is widely available through the Idaho District Export Council, the US Commercial Service, The Idaho State Trade Office, the Idaho State Office of Agriculture and more.

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TechHelp was recently awarded a grant from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, that will help fund workshops and on-site assessments for Idaho processors of potatoes, onions, apples, cherries, peas and lentils. The two-year program is designed to help processors improve food safety and productivity in order to make them more globally competitive.

The grant partnership includes Idaho's three state universities, the Idaho Grower Shipper Association, the Idaho Oregon Fruit and Vegetable Association and the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council. The $80,003 competitive grant will make Idaho’s specialty crop packers and processors more competitive, protect the integrity of Idaho’s agricultural brand, and improve the safety of the state's food supply chain.

The program kicked off in May 2010 with the Introduction to Food Safety & HACCP Workshop for Fruit & Vegetable Packers. Keep an eye on the TechHelp Home Page or Calendar for additional workshops.

The program is led by Food Specialist, Jeff Kronenberg of TechHelp and the University of Idaho. Jeff has many years of experience working in the food processing industry. Over the past 25 years he has had responsibility for operations and corporate quality, food safety, HACCP, and health & safety, working for Frito-Lay, the J.R. Simplot Company, PowerBar, and AIB International.

For more information, contact Jeff at 208-364-4937 or jkron@uidaho.edu.

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A new white paper prepared by the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Board (TechHelp is Idaho's affiliate of the MEP) discusses the state of domestic manufacturing and the characteristics of good manufacturers, and plots a course to improve the competitiveness of manufacturing in the United States.

(To download the MEP report, Innovation and Product Development in the 21st Century, go to www.nist.gov/mep/upload/MEP_advisory_report_4_24l.pdf .)

The MEP is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board (MEPAB) is an external advisory body created to provide guidance and advice on the MEP program from the perspective of industrial extension customers and providers who have a vision of industrial extension with a national scope. (TechHelp Advisory Board member, Jim Bean of Preco, is a member of the MEPAB). According to Board Chairman Ned Hill, President for Economic Development at Cleveland State University, there have been a number of public policy reviews of U.S. manufacturing, each with a particular point of view, and nearly all advocating a narrowly defined “silver bullet” policy intervention. The MEPAB report finds that there are reasons for concern about the industry’s future, but there are also reasons for optimism.

Resolving the competitive disadvantages that U.S. manufacturers face is similarly nuanced. Although many observers have pointed to innovation as the key characteristic of successful companies, the report finds that innovation alone is not enough. To be meaningful, innovation must result in new products, new production processes, or new management practices. Manufacturers also need to be green, care about their workforce and develop their in-house talent, and find their niche in the global marketplace. READ MORE...

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TechHelp is Idaho's affiliate of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (MEP) - a national network with thousands of specialists who understand the needs of manufacturers and small businesses. Collectively, we are America's #1 resource for helping manufacturers compete against lost cost competition.

For the past 20 years, MEP has worked with US manufacturing clients to realize cost savings, new sales, and retained sales - - over $1.4 billion in cost savings annually and $9.1 billion in increased or retained sales in one year. MEP provides companies with services and access to public and private resources that enhance growth, improve productivity, and expand capacity.

We work with companies willing to invest in their future, to make improvements in the short term, and position themselves to be stronger long-term competitors both domestically and internationally.

Click here to see a video documenting 20 years of MEP.

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