{"351621":{"#nid":"351621","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Growing jobs in automotive-related industries","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) is receiving $250,000 in federal funds to pilot a regional business-to-business network project in the automobile supplier and technology sectors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe grant for the project is part of $2.5 million in awards the U.S. Commerce Department\u2019s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) gave to 10 MEPs across the country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach pilot is structured to help create networks of buyers and sellers of technologies, products, and services. The main goals are to have such networks support small- and medium-sized businesses and determine whether those pilots can be expanded nationally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne of NIST-MEP\u2019s goals is to improve the productivity of our domestic supply chains,\u201d said Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Acting NIST Director Willie May in a statement. \u201cThese projects will demonstrate a variety of innovative approaches to doing that by connecting small firms with larger corporations.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaMEP, a federally and state-funded unit of Georgia Tech\u0027s Enterprise Innovation Institute, works extensively with businesses across the state to reduce costs, increase productivity and revenue, incorporate best technological practices, and save or create jobs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaMEP\u2019s pilot covers five southeastern states \u2014\u0026nbsp;Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The aim is to build a multi-state network that will include supply chain partners, technology solutions, and workforce development related to the automotive industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe automotive sector has flourished in the Southeast with European and Asian automakers flocking across the region during the last 15 years to build manufacturing plants:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EKia Motors to West Point, Ga. (Though it doesn\u2019t manufacture vehicles here, Porsche\u2019s North American headquarters is in Atlanta with 272 employees.)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHyundai, Honda, and Daimler AG\u2019s Mercedes-Benz brand to Alabama\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBMW to South Carolina\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENissan to Mississippi\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENissan, Volkswagen, and America\u2019s own General Motors Corp. to Tennessee\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll of that activity has led to the robust growth of automotive suppliers and related businesses to support core automobile manufacturing, as well as jobs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia \u2014 which also has Blue Bird, the Fort Valley-based school bus maker \u2014 has 250 companies in the automotive supplier manufacturing sector. Collectively, they employ 18,000, Georgia Department of Economic Development figures show.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Kia plant alone supports 7,000 supplier jobs. That\u2019s more than double the 3,100 employees Kia has at its own auto plant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGaMEP is proud to have been named one of the 10 MEPs to receive this award to extend our work accelerating technology adoption along the automotive supply chain in the Southeast,\u201d said GaMEP Director Karen J. Fite. \u201cWith this network, Georgia automotive suppliers will be able to grow their business and create new jobs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWritten by P\u00e9ralte C. Paul\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Businesses in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi and Tennessee will benefit"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) received a grant from the\u0026nbsp; U.S. Commerce Department\u2019s National Institute of Standards and Technology to build a multi-state network that will include supply chain partners, technology solutions, and workforce development related to the automotive industry.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"GaMEP is one of 10 groups awarded grants from the U.S. Commerce Department."}],"uid":"27918","created_gmt":"2014-12-03 14:57:07","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:37","author":"Laura Diamond","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-12-03T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-12-03T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"351641":{"id":"351641","type":"image","title":"Automotive operations in Georgia","body":null,"created":"1449245714","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:15:14","changed":"1475895078","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:18","alt":"Automotive operations in Georgia","file":{"fid":"201126","name":"screen_shot_2014-12-02_at_6.09.52_pm.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screen_shot_2014-12-02_at_6.09.52_pm_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screen_shot_2014-12-02_at_6.09.52_pm_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":293328,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/screen_shot_2014-12-02_at_6.09.52_pm_0.png?itok=UYzzSlPK"}}},"media_ids":["351641"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"62321","name":"Automotive"},{"id":"10276","name":"Department of Commerce"},{"id":"9040","name":"EI2"},{"id":"16331","name":"GaMEP"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"},{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura Diamond\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.diamond@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}