FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                  G 94-68
July 22, 1994

Contact:  Michael E. Newman             BROWN, DALEY SIGN
          (301) 975-3025                AGREEMENT TO LAUNCH
                                        NEW CENTER FOR DELIVERING
          Carol Hamilton                MANUFACTURING SERVICES TO
          (202) 482-6001                CHICAGO BUSINESSES


     U.S. Commerce Secretary Ronald H. Brown and Chicago Mayor
Richard M. Daley today signed a letter of partnership to
officially dedicate the Chicago Manufacturing Technology
Extension Center (CMTEC).  The organization is aimed at helping
companies in the nation's third largest manufacturing cluster
adopt and effectively apply modern technologies and best
management practices, improve worker skills and tap new markets.

     The CMTEC, operated by the private, non-profit Chicago
Manufacturing Center (CMC), is affiliated with the Department of
Commerce's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).  Part of
Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
the MEP is a national network of manufacturing extension centers
currently numbering 35.  President Clinton has called for a total
of 100 centers in the network by 1997.

     Secretary Brown said, "Economic success in the global
marketplace goes to those companies effectively networked into
the latest technological advances and expertise.  The Chicago
MTEC provides this region's small and medium-sized manufacturers
with that competitive edge."

     "The Chicago Manufacturing Technology Extension Center, as a
technical and business assistance organization, provides an
essential element for strengthening the region's manufacturing
core.  The CMTEC is a major expansion of the services available
to small and mid-sized manufacturers in Chicago," said Mayor
Daley.

     The center serves the six-county Chicago metropolitan area,
home to some 15,000 manufacturing companies employing 400,000
workers.  Within this large market, the CMTEC targets small and
medium firms in six industry "clusters" considered crucial to the
Illinois economy.  These clusters include:  consumer appliances
and electronics, electrical equipment, industrial machinery,
manufactured inputs (such as metalworking and food processing),
telecommunications equipment and transportation equipment.

     The CMTEC's service delivery system combines the resources
of a senior staff of experienced manufacturing experts with a
regional network of service providers, universities and colleges,
national laboratories, economic development organizations and
financial institutions that are affiliates of the CMC.  Among the
organizations with whom the CMTEC is developing partnerships are:
Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University's Basic
Industry Research Laboratory, the Illinois Institute of
Technology's Manufacturing Productivity Center, the Illinois
Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center the University of
Illinois at Chicago and the Council for Adult and Experiential
Learning.

     Another important alliance is an affiliation with the
Chicago World Trade Center, where the CMC maintains a satellite
office.  Trade specialists in this office work with CMTEC clients
to develop new international markets.

     The CMTEC is partially funded through the Technology
Reinvestment Project (TRP), the federal government's program to
provide funds for dual-use (military and civilian) technology
development, deployment and utilization.  Twenty-eight of the
current 35 MEP extension centers are funded through the TRP,
which is managed by the Defense Department's Advanced Research
Projects Agency (ARPA).  Additional support for the CMTEC 
comes from the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois and
private-sector contributors. 

     Prior to the signing ceremony, Secretary Brown toured
Eaglebrook Plastics and Eaglebrook Products, a local
manufacturing firm assisted by CMC during the pilot program which
led to the CMTEC's creation.  Eaglebrook recycles plastics and
manufactures products from recycled materials.  Secretary Brown
learned how the CMC staff is working with Eaglebrook officials to
identify and implement improvements in material handling
procedures and inventory tracking methods.

     Rheal Turcotte is president of the CMC and director of the
CMTEC.  For more information on the CMTEC, contact Helen Squires
at (312) 265-2031.

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