Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center releases new book “Made In Illinois”

The Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) announced a new book which is described as a guide and valuable resource to help manufacturing companies become successful competitors on the global stage.

IMEC, which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary serving manufacturers, introduces "Made In Illinois: A Modern Playbook for Manufacturers To Compete and Win." Within the book, readers gather insights from leaders from Illinois-based companies such as Motorola, Watchfire Signs, F. N. Smith Corporation, G&W Electric, Header Die and Tool, GAM Enterprises, and Ace Metal Crafts. Some of the subjects covered include the value of customer relationships, defining excellence, and integrating technology for greater process innovation.

Praising Illinois for having a rich manufacturing tradition that presents many assets and strengths, IMEC President David Boulay explained in the book how the creative process was to examine the essential elements of manufacturing success.

“Every company aims to leverage leadership and strategy to better focus on customers and align operational performance, workforce talent, and knowledge management,” he wrote. “As efforts such as the US Department of Commerce NIST Baldrige Performance Excellence Program has long demonstrated, these are powerful aspects of business success. We frame these elements into three parts: people, performance, and mindset. Within these categories, we share best practices, insights, lessons learned, and questions to inspire new thoughts.”

Boulay reminds people how essential manufacturers are to everyday life, creating many items that are used around the world.

“Everything we buy from the store or get ‘magically’ delivered to our doorstep comes from a manufacturer,” Boulay wrote. “It’s a reminder how important our incredibly talented makers are for society. With that, we hope 'Made in Illinois' offers readers new insights, validates tried and true practices, and gives way to new thinking about modern manufacturing and its many unsung heroes across the great state of Illinois.”