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MEP Success Stories from Maine

How Diverse Projects Drove Transformative Change

Reported Year
2024
Cumberland Ironworks needed to grow to meet customer demand. The company turned to Maine MEP, part of the MEP National Network™, for help, and in the intervening years Maine MEP has become the "go-to" for Cumberland Ironworks' needs, assisting with concerns like financial resource build up, staffing, equipment and facilities.

Adopting a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Reported Year
2024
In 2018, W. S. Emerson found itself in a challenging position due to the swift emergence of online competitors. The company decided to revamp its approach to employee training, and Vice President Betsy Vickery took the initiative to connect with Bill Whittier of Maine MEP, part of the MEP National Network™. Together, they devised a comprehensive

Maine MEP Assists Guitar Manufacturer Through Large Growth Phases

Reported Year
2023
Bourgeois Guitars has grown significantly, quadrupling the number of staff from 8 to 32 employees and expanding manufacturing space. This rapid growth caused a need for assistance in all areas of the business. Robotics, including a PLEK fret dressing machine and other major process improvements, are underway with funding and implementation

Maine Wood and Wood Composite Products Company Assisted in Growth by MEP

Reported Year
2022
While many of Cousineau’s products utilize Maine wood, some require veneers imported from Eastern Europe. These veneers are relatively expensive, must be purchased by the container load and require long lead times to acquire. The cyclic nature of demand for recreational items combined with the large investment to maintain adequate levels of

Meeting Cybersecurity and Quality System Customer Requirements

Reported Year
2021
A key customer required Compotech to be ISO 9001 compliant and their work with the DOD required them to be compliant with cybersecurity standard NIST 800-171. Lacking the internal systems and expertise to comply with these standards, they reached out to Maine MEP, part of the MEP National Network™, for assessment and implementation guidance.

Food Safety System Supports Rapid Domestic Market Expansion

Reported Year
2024
As Chow Maine grew, it became evident that a food safety system would be necessary to meet the requirements of larger supermarket chains and distributors. Owner Chiaolin Korona reached out to Maine MEP, part of the MEP National Network™, to see if there was any support in developing a food safety system to prepare for a third-party audit.

Empowered Team Proactively Refines a Plant's Quality Culture

Reported Year
2024
In 2023, Barrette Outdoor Living engaged with Maine MEP, part of the MEP National Network™, to provide a Principles of Lean training and a three-day kaizen event focused on 5S. At the time, the company was wanting to learn more about lean methodologies and tools to implement action-oriented improvements, while empowering employees to emerge as

Leadership Coaching - Vision, Goals, KPIs

Reported Year
2023
The majority of the products Artforms creates are sold in tourist shops and tourist areas, which means that the sales cycle is highly cyclical. Typically Artforms spends the winter and spring seasons producing product for the upcoming summer tourist season; the fall season sees a sharp decline in orders and production slows down significantly. This
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