Mass-TEC Blog

To quote a recent informational post by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council about the biopharma manufacturing subsector wellness in Massachusetts:

Massachusetts is at the center of the region with the greatest biologics manufacturing capacity in the world – with 300,000 liters of cell culture manufacturing capacity.  Of the top 11 biopharma manufacturing states, Massachusetts was one of just four which added manufacturing jobs in the last decade.

Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership releases the Next Generation Manufacturing newsletter each month.  The newsletter features:

• an editorial ("From the Desk of Jack Healy")
• a case study focusing on manufacturer growth
• education and workforce development
• sustainability
• general industry news
• video of the month

The August 2011 newsletter includes the following articles:

Here's an article from BizJournals that was highlighted in a recent newsletter from the Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board (CMWIB).  Among the interesting points to note, Boston's private industry growth in the past year has been at 2.7%...

Today, on MarketWatch, Congressman John Tierney’s upcoming visit to Implant Sciences, in Wilmington, Massachusetts, is discussed.  Quoting from the article:

The Chronicle of Higher Education has posted a recent article, "When Less Education Means More Money." With this article, they supply an interactive chart that the reader can manipulate. Education levels shown range from "less than high school" through to "professional," and also includes "some college," and "associate's degree."

What follows is part of the press release from Laura Meyer at Georgetown University.

NEW REPORT ON THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF 171 COLLEGE MAJORS: LINKS COLLEGE MAJORS TO EARNINGS

Students’ choice of Majors is just as important as decision to get Bachelor’s Degree

Profits Triple For IPG | Worcester Business Journal. Great news for at least one central Massachusetts manufacturing company, during a time when the nation is suggesting there's been a downturn in the manufacturing sector. IPG Photonics, of Oxford, grew 81% in the last year, reports the Worcester Business Journal. More information can be found at the link above ("Profits Triple for IPG"), as well as these:

State House correspondent, Christine Lee, reported on the skilled worker shortage in the Massachusetts manufacturing industry.  Barry Kriger, newscaster on 22News weeknight news (WWLP), began the report, referring to manufacturing, by saying, "If you're in the market for a job, there's at least one industry desperate for new applicants."

In some ways, the report and commentary support the message that Mass-TEC has been promoting.  Among the message, these stand out: 

Although it might sound like a bit of a stretch to say that manufacturing has something to do with baseball, and vice versa, if you've been following "The Great Broken Bat Epidemic of 2008," then you know there's some truth to the linkage.

Nypro -- a plastics company with headquarters in Clinton, Massachusetts -- has announced plans to expand its plant in Mebane, North Carolina.  This is in addition to the company's plan to add a medical device development and design center at the Clinton, MA, headquarters.  The design center, in Clinton, will make use of existing space, and is slated to be online (up and running, that is) in February 2012.