Collaboration among federal agencies to deliver services to the private sector constitutes a major challenge. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and other federal agencies deliver programs and resources to the private sector in order to overcome market barriers and achieve business operation transformation in the U.S. manufacturing and industrial sectors. This paper focuses on a. pilot program of the EPA and the DOC's Manufacturing Extension Partnership. (MEP) program. ThE MEP runs programs throughout the country that assist private industrial manufacturing clients with services to improve the overall efficiency. uf production. One particular process delivered through the MEP program is Lean transformation: an established set of educational tools that helps eliminate wasteful practices. The EPA developed a relationship at the federal level with the MEP program to promote energy efficiency and environmentally sound behavior among U.S. manufacturers through a pilot program. In order to reflect the commitment of the numerous interested stakeholders, the MEP and EPA programs would leverage federal, state, and private sector dollars. The pilot project described below is based out of the EPA's Region 1 territory and remains in its preliminary stages. Thus, this paper describes the potential for operating new energy-related programs through MEP Lean transformation programs in the context of falling industrial output and rising energy.costs to. aid American manufacturers in producing goods more efficiently and cost-effectively.
展开▼
