Governor Jay Inslee, Puget Sound Regional Council and Impact Washington rolled out results of a pilot project that will save over $1 million annually for six defense manufacturers and will result in a total of 70 more jobs in one company alone.
The pilot tested whether the NextGen LEAN program could help small- and medium-size manufacturers bring costs down and cut production time so they can compete in the global marketplace.
“It worked! We added 20 jobs in the last 6 months since we began the NextGen LEAN process, and are hiring 10 to 15 more now. We expect to add a total of 50 more jobs in 2016,” Jorgensen Forge President Mike Jewell said.
“A key part of our Regional Economic Strategy is to grow jobs, and growing 70 new family-wage jobs in one company alone is a huge win,” said PSRC’s Economic Development District Board Vice President Catherine Stanford. “The NextGen LEAN pilot is a stellar example of how public-private partnerships can make a difference to our regional economy.”
The pilot was funded by a federal grant awarded to the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Washington Military Alliance. Impact Washington, which serves as the state’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, implemented the pilot.
Jorgensen Forge is located in Tukwila and manufactures precision-machined products for diverse industries. Other pilot participants included:
- Tri-Tec in Kent, which saved over $270,000 in annual costs and reduced production time by 81 days
- Morpac industries in Pierce County, which reduced travel and walking time by 70%
- Skills, Inc., with four locations in Puget Sound, expects to save over $400,000 yearly
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