FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                  G 94-98
Nov. 4, 1994

Contact:  Michael E. Newman             COMMERCE DEPARTMENT AND
          (301) 975-3025                MASSACHUSETTS LAUNCH NEW
                                        SYSTEM FOR DELIVERING
          Carol Hamilton                TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TO
          (202) 482-6001                COMMONWEALTH BUSINESSES


     The U.S. Department of Commerce and the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts today officially dedicated the Massachusetts
Manufacturing Partnership (MMP), an organization aimed at helping
companies in the commonwealth adopt and effectively apply modern
technologies and best management practices, improve worker skills
and tap new markets.

     The MMP, a division of the quasi-public Bay State Skills
Corp. (BSSC), is affiliated with the Department of Commerce's
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).  Managed by Commerce's
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the MEP is
a growing nationwide network of extension services to help
smaller manufacturers.  Forty-four centers currently make up the
MEP, with President Clinton calling for a total of 100 centers in
the network by 1997.

     Commerce Secretary Ronald H. Brown said, "The strong
performance of Massachusetts' small and medium-sized
manufacturers is vital to the economic growth of the United
States and the nation's competitiveness in the global
marketplace.  The partnership started today will effectively
network these companies into the latest technological advances
and expertise -- a strategy that has proven very successful in
other states served by the MEP."

     Signing a letter of partnership today were representatives
of the commonwealth, BSSC, MMP, the MMP regional boards and NIST.
The signing ceremony was held at Market Forge Industries Inc., a
97-year-old manufacturer of industrial food service equipment and
one of the first companies to contract with the MMP for
assistance.

     The MMP is a five-office network that serves more than
10,000 manufacturing companies in Massachusetts.  About half
of these businesses are located in the Greater Boston area and
80 percent employ fewer than 50 people.  Major industries served
by the MMP include fabricated metals, electronics, plastics,
fiber optics, textiles and defense.

     The five regional offices of the MMP are in Dartmouth,
Boston, Holden, Lowell and Springfield.  Each is locally owned
and operated, and each provides a broad range of expertise by
marshaling the resources of educational institutions, private
consultants and public-sector partners in the service area.

     Federal support for the MMP is provided 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.  Thirty-seven
of the 44 MEP extension centers are funded through the TRP, which
is managed by the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects
Agency (ARPA).

     For more information on the MMP, contact Sue Paxman at 
(617) 292-5100.

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