Manex and Partners to Host 2012 Santa Clara Manufacturing Summit to Address Bringing Manufacturing Jobs Back to California

SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Competing globally while manufacturing in California to create good, well-paying jobs will be the main topic of discussion at the inaugural 2012 Santa Clara Manufacturing Summit on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The event is presented by The Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence (Manex), www.manexconsulting.com, Mission College, The Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce, NOVA Workforce Investment Board, and Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

“Our goal is to do everything we can to help manufacturers compete globally while continuing to do business in California and employ highly-skilled workers in good paying jobs.”

“We need the manufacturing sector to be the foundation for the future, as its strength or weakness has tremendous impact on job creation and the health of the overall economy,” says Hank Holzapfel, President of Manex. “Our goal is to do everything we can to help manufacturers compete globally while continuing to do business in California and employ highly-skilled workers in good paying jobs.”

In his keynote address at the summit, Harry Moser, Founder of the Reshoring Initiative, will describe the Initiative’s tools designed to help companies recognize the advantages of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. “World macro-economic trends, such as rapidly rising wages in China, suggest that U.S. manufacturers are or soon will be competitive for most products sold in the U.S. market,” says Mr. Moser. “The non-profit Reshoring Initiative provides free Total Cost of Ownership™ software that companies are starting to use to compare domestic to offshore sources, resulting in more U.S. jobs.”

Also presenting will be Bill Browne of Manex, who will reveal the latest resources for manufacturers and discuss why Lean Six Sigma and data-based decision making are no longer an option, and best practices are now a requirement. The morning session will also feature a panel discussion to include various local leaders and Northern California manufacturers, including Todd Rinella of CORWIL Technology Corp, Kris Stadelman of the NOVA Workforce Investment Board, and Michael Faust of Northern California’s World Trade Center, who will address California’s top manufacturing issues.

The afternoon sessions include a panel discussion “Transition to Innovative New Processes and Products” and will feature local South Bay leaders, including Ivan Ernest of Google, Dr. J. Laurel Jones of Mission College, and Paul Witkay of the Alliance of Chief Executives. The Summit will conclude with a presentation on Sustainable Manufacturing by UC Berkeley’s Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainability, and a session by Dr. Kevin O’Brien with Energy Commercialization on what companies need to do to assess their current status.

The event costs $125 per person and includes breakfast, lunch and concludes with a networking reception at 3:30pm. For more information and to register, go to: http://www.manexconsulting.com/events/santa-clara-manufacturing-summit

ABOUT THE CORPORATION FOR MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE (MANEX)

Manex is a San Francisco Bay Area firm that helps manufacturers and distributors to gain a competitive edge. It provides high-value consulting and business advisory services to help manufacturers significantly increase growth, productivity, quality and profitability.

Founded in 1995, Manex has helped hundreds of Northern California manufacturers improve their performance in a variety of manufacturing industry sectors including aerospace, biotech, construction, high-tech, food and beverage, machining and medical devices.

Manex is a member of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. For more information, go to http://www.manexconsulting.com, or call: 1-877-33-MANEX.