NJMEP Expands to New Facilities

 Cedar Knolls complex perfect for organization’s continued support of manufacturing.

By Anthony Birritteri, Editor-in-Chief On Sep 1, 2014

To meet the ongoing demands of the manufacturers it helps and the space requirements of its growing staff, the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP) has recently moved to expanded facilities at 2 Ridgedale Avenue in Cedar Knolls. According to John W. Kennedy, NJMEP CEO, the organization’s former location on Speedwell Avenue in Morris Plains had sufficient training space, but lacked private areas where clients would be able meet with counselors.

“This new space is 1,000 square feet larger than what we had. We can now hold more free workshops for manufacturers … we now have significant training space, meeting space and open space to use,” he says.

The NJMEP is a not-for-profit company that works with small- to mid-sized manufacturers to help them become more efficient, profitable and globally competitive. “Our mission is to work with manufacturers in anything they need. We implement a lot of process programs, including Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Innovation Engineering and ISO Quality. Some of those programs are offered here. Some start here, like our 101 programs, but are completed at a client’s manufacturing site,” Kennedy says.

The NJMEP also offers what Kennedy calls “growth services,” which include training in the areas of marketing, sales support and business development, etc.

Kennedy says the manufacturing sector in New Jersey is stable. “Since I was a kid, I always heard that manufacturing was going to be dead in this country. It’s not. New Jersey has remained No. 8 in the US with more than 11,000 manufacturers and 400,000 workers,” he explains.

Between the years 2000 and 2013, the NJMEP has helped create almost 20,000 new manufacturing jobs in the state. Its programs and services have helped New Jersey manufacturers realize more than $2.5 billion in value.

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