Capitalizing on the potential of industrial clusters may be critical to halting the decline of upstate New York's manufacturing base. That focus is driving an initiative spearheaded by Rochester Institute of Technology.

RIT's Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) has completed the initial phase of Roadmap, an 18-month effort to develop strategic action plans, or roadmaps, to improve the competitiveness of regional manufacturing. This phase, funded by the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research, studied the materials processing, and industrial machinery and systems clusters in the nine-county Finger Lakes region.

A grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce is funding an expansion of this project, which is studying the materials processing, industrial machinery and systems, food processing, and optics and imaging clusters in counties across the Finger Lakes, central New York and the southern tier regions.

Cluster theory, which focuses on groups of similar or related firms concentrated in a given region, is central to Roadmap. These firms share similar technology, inputs, infrastructure and workforces and are supported by specialized universities and research institutions. By collaborating with each other and leveraging common assets, cluster firms are able to more effectively innovate, compete and grow.

“RIT is very serious about assisting regional manufacturing,” explains Nabil Nasr, CIMS director. “By harnessing the power of pre-existing assets, our research becomes a critical component of efforts to create new jobs.”

The Roadmap methodology is unique because it heavily emphasizes direct work with regional firms. Detailed surveys and thorough on-site assessments are used to gather data on internal operations of firms. This data is combined with extensive business environment benchmarking to form an understanding of the competitive challenges facing firms and how they overcome them.

Focus groups of participating firms and stakeholders from academia and government agencies are convened to begin developing strategic action plans based on the study's findings. Though CIMS serves as a vital catalyst in this process, the objective is to develop credible, measurable plans that industry and the government can act upon.

Essential to Roadmap's success is the fifteen-member advisory board, consisting of leaders from manufacturing, business advocacy groups, academia and government. Participants include David Burns, president and CEO of Gleason Corp.; Michael Finney, president and CEO of Greater Rochester Enterprise; Doug Woods, president of Liberty Precision Industries, Kent Gardner, director of economic analysis at the Center for Governmental Research; and John Marshall of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

##

BACKGROUND: The Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) at Rochester Institute of Technology exists to increase the competitiveness of manufacturers through applied technology and training. Established in 1992, CIMS provides technology and workforce development solutions that strengthen industrial clients' ability to compete in the global marketplace. CIMS represents a dynamic collaboration of in-house technical experts, as well as academic, industry and government resources.