August 2020 News

Many of you are starting to see the long-term effects COVID-19 is going to have on your business. During this time, we remain committed to being your strategic partner and providing services and programs to help your facility restart and rebound.

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Making Your Facility Safe

While most manufacturers are back to work, keeping facilities safe and compliant with the latest rules and regulations regarding workplace safety has just begun. We will, at no cost, review your Safe Start/Return to Work Plan to ensure your facility is safe. Areas we discuss include:

• Expanding/resuming operations
• Monitoring and detecting cases
• PPE
• Cleaning and disinfection
• Procedures for 'suspected' infection
• And more

Working with Plumb Signs...

Plumb Signs has remained essential throughout the pandemic and followed all of the updated guidelines closely. They wondered if they were doing enough, so Plumb Signs reached out to Impact Washington when they heard about our no-cost Preparedness and Preventative Resources.

On the day of Plumb's COVID19 workplace preparedness assessment, several virtual meetings occurred with members of Plumb Signs and the Impact Washington Consultant assigned to assist on the journey to better compliance. As we toured their building, it became clear to Plumb Signs that our program would help them make the changes; they never even knew we needed to reduce risks of infection and improve our workplace safety program. Read more…

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CARES Act Funds for Washington Manufacturers

There has never been a better time for Washington Manufacturers to make investments in people, products, processes, and plants that will accelerate competitiveness and profitability as they rebound from impacts of the pandemic

We invite all Washington based US Small-and medium-sized manufacturers (SME's)* to apply for CARES Act Recovery Assistance funds. These funds provide services that directly support a manufacturer's ability to rebound and recover from the coronavirus. 

Eligible applicants include manufacturers, producers, and value-add processors in agriculture, food and beverage, seafood processing, aerospace products and parts, wood and paper products, chemical manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and medicine manufacturing, maritime, clean technology, and more. Learn more about CARES Act Manufacturing Funds and requirements here.

* Employee 20-499 individuals

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Latest Blog Posts 

View Other Blog and News Posts

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Courses and Events

Food Safety

Impact Washington’s Tri-State Food Manufacturing Team is rolling out a series of workshops and webinars designed to meet the region's food processors' needs. The series features everything from traditional food safety topics, such as HACCP, to new offerings that address Sensory Programs and Quality Fundamentals of food production. Instructors drew from their extensive food industry experience and knowledge to create this innovative series. 

"In today’s COVID world where we are continually adjusting to ‘new normal,' we decided to develop a calendar of webinars and public courses. We reduced the course fees for qualifying manufacturers and will provide several free webinars to assist in this challenging time." - Janna Hamlett, Course Instructor

We encourage you to reach out if you don’t see a course or webinar that you need. We are here to help you succeed and navigate this challenging time. Email Craig Doan or contact us at here.

Cybersecurity

CMMC compliance will soon be the minimum requirement to be eligible for DoD contract awards. Moreover, the DoD has emphasized that the CMMC is a starting point for transforming contractors’ internal cybersecurity culture.

Starting in Fall Impact Washington will offer no-cost DFARS and CMMC training to members of the Washington State defense supply chain. Instruction is in the form of digital, self-paced courses tailored to a defense contractor, from the CEO, to operations & financial managers to Engineering & IT professionals.

Two separate courses are available, and pre-registration is now open:

• The senior management course focuses on the importance of cybersecurity in protecting company assets and resources and outlining the measures and resources needed to achieve compliance. 
• The practitioner course facilitates and identifies the steps needed to move the company toward DFARS and CMMC compliance.

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Training and Services Coming Fall 2020...

Enhanced innovation and technology solutions such collaborative robotics assistance

Updated and remote Lean 101 training. To facilitate online learning, the instructors of our traditional in-person course broke the training into short segments so that students can immediately supply knowledge in their facility. Our updated lean training will incorporate a unique learn-and-apply model that will energize online learning. 

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Other Manufacturing Resources

Food Safety and Processing Service Desk: Now Available - Utilize this service to get quick answers to your questions about food safety regulations, FMSA, or general food manufacturing assistance.

Online FSMA Gap Assessment:. Complete the online questionnaire, and our Chief Food Scientist will compiled the information and contact you with your completed assessment.

Small Manufacturing Enterprise: Are you or do you know a manufacturer with 19 employees or less?  We have a dedicated Consultant and programs available for this important sector. Email Miguel Moreno or contact us at here for additional information.

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Impact Washington's Manufacturing Specialists are ready to provide information, training and services to enhance growth, improve productivity, reduce costs, and expand manufacturing capacity in Washington.

Request Info or Schedule A No-Cost Consultation