By Claudia Serrano, Projects Coordinator, New Mexico MEP

The New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership is taking the “buy local” concept to a broader level with its New Mexico Made program.

The initiative aims to promote the companies that create and fabricate goods in New Mexico, where manufacturing is a $5.9 billion industry representing 7.4 percent of the total gross state product, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.

It does so by certifying qualifying businesses on the New Mexico Made website directory, raising the profile of the state’s manufacturers and giving participating businesses access to promotions and networking opportunities.

High-Profile Producers

New Mexico MEP launched the project to give the state’s manufacturers an online platform to showcase the products they make and to give New Mexican consumers a place to find and learn more about products made where they live.

It’s also a place where businesses can exchange information, build professional networks and learn how to become more profitable and competitive. New Mexico MEP plans to profile a different registered company each week in the organization’s newsletter and on the MEP website.

Companies that register for the free service can post a profile that contains the company’s logo, contact information, description and photos. They’ll also receive certificates and stamps that identify them as part of the New Mexico Made project, and they can use these on their company websites and product packaging to underscore the company’s home-grown credentials.

Profile creation on the website is available to all manufacturers, not just the companies that have worked with MEP. All that’s required is a Dunn & Bradstreet registration number. MEP will even help non-registered manufacturers get registered.

The service is especially valuable to small manufacturers that don’t maintain a company website. By having a profile page, they are visible in cyberspace to the growing numbers of businesses and consumers who research and shop for products online.

Working Elsewhere

New Mexico Made is part of a nationwide effort to promote manufacturing in the U.S. economy.

Purdue University’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, for example, registered 124 Indiana companies in the first year of its Made in Indiana program. That program highlights the manufacturing base’s contribution to the Indiana economy and promotes products made in that midwestern state.

The program is part of MEP’s efforts to help manufacturers and related businesses become more competitive so they can create sustainable jobs and strengthen the nation’s economy. The nonprofit agency of the U.S. Commerce Department provides expertise in efficient and environmentally sound manufacturing techniques, innovative technologies and lean processes.

For more information about New Mexico Made or New Mexico MEP, call 505-314-9131 or visit www.newmexicomep.org.

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