Shayna Jung, left, and Kelsey Coon of Too Cute Totes sew parts of a wallet together.
RENO (University of Nevada, Reno) — Nevada Industry Excellence plays an integral role in some of the state’s most important industries: manufacturing, mining and construction.
Over a five-year period, partnership efforts between NVIE and businesses in these sectors have resulted in $2.2 billion in output, in the creation or retention of more than 8,400 jobs and in more than $182 million in new federal and state tax revenue.
NVIE has helped many small and medium-sized companies throughout Nevada streamline processes, reduce costs, improve practices and grow their business. The economic outputs achieved from 2010 to 2014 were determined through an impact study completed by the University of Nevada, Reno’s Center for Economic Development using the modeling program IMPLAN to calculate the multiplier effect of economic development. Using the IMPAN model, the study further identified economic impact for 2014 by region:
$193 million in Clark County
$113.5 million for Washoe County and Storey County
$20 million for Carson City
$21.5 million for rural areas
In Fallon, businesses include Churchill Vineyards, Olam, Too Cute Totes, Little Smudgeez and Buttsup Duck Designs, LLC.
An example business is Aerovault, a manufacturer of aerodynamic car trailers that moved to Henderson, Nevada, from Washington state in 2011. Aerovault’s manufacturing capacity doubled after NVIE project managers introduced and helped implement the lean-manufacturing model.
“It is not just training and implementation of manufacturing processes that they offer, but also identifying what is needed,” Gayle Brock, Aerovault co-owner and founder, said. “We have never heard of a state-affiliated organization helping a business like this.”
MicroMetl, a manufacturer of heating and air conditioning equipment and accessories in Sparks, Nevada, also implemented the lean-manufacturing model with the guidance of NVIE. Decreased costs, improved production efficiency and increased sales resulted.
“Now our workers have set up lean-manufacturing cellularized lines and let the employees design the lines and take ownership of it because it is theirs,” Bill Martin, MicroMetl quality assurance manager, said.
“Nevada Industry Excellence helps businesses meet their goals related to operational excellence, business growth and workforce strategies. Companies engage NVIE for fee-for-service, on-site consulting and hands-on implementation assistance,” Sandy Haslem, NVIE director, explained.
NVIE is part of a national network of Manufacturing Extension Partnerships through the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In Nevada, this statewide resource is hosted through the University of Nevada, Reno and supported by a number of education- and industry-partner organizations.
For more information NVIE, visit http://nevadaie.com/ or call 775-784-1935 in northern Nevada or 702-895-2615 in southern Nevada. To see the Nevada Industry Excellence Annual Report and the full economic-impact study, visit http://nevadaie.com/implan.