The Hamilton County Economic Development Office and incubator staff recently met with Traci Spencer of TechSolve to discuss partnership, collaboration, and how to bring more awareness to one another’s services. TechSolve will also be speaking as a resource provider at the Hamilton County Business Retention Council meeting in March.
For those who are not aware of TechSolve, the group is a non-profit organization based in Cincinnati that focuses on manufacturing process solutions. It provides both free and in-depth fee-based consulting services to Southwest Ohio manufacturing companies, as a member of the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Program.
TechSolve’s roots reach back to 1984 when Ohio lawmakers provided capital funding for the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Sciences (IAMS). The aim was to establish a research institute to develop composite metals and plastics. The board of TechSolve consists of current and former members of The Boeing Company, GE Aviation, Rhinestahl Corporation, Wright Brothers Institute, University of Cincinnati, and The Procter & Gamble Company.
A key quality of Greater Cincinnati’s resilient economy is its large proportion of manufacturing companies. A report released by the Brookings Institute concluded that manufacturing jobs represented 10.3% of all jobs in the region and that average weekly earnings of manufacturing jobs are 8.4% higher than non-manufacturing jobs. It also noted that manufacturing is a primary source of commercial innovation. Twenty-two percent of manufacturing companies brought a new or significantly improved good or service to market over a two-year period versus only 8% of non-manufacturing companies.
Ms. Spencer pointed out in her presentation that 75% of the manufacturing companies in our region employfewer than 25 people. Many of these small and medium-sized businesses are struggling to retool their facilities and operational capabilities in the face of a changing manufacturing environment. Major companies and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are looking for suppliers with renewed capabilities in additive manufacturing, robotics and automation, digitization, and IoT. As a manufacturing resource provider, TechSolve is able to provide companies with the expertise needed to continue to compete in the global economy.
By partnering with key organizations like TechSolve, we are able to connect new and existing business with strong resources that allow them to stay, grow, and thrive within Hamilton County.
