On National Manufacturing Day, Davids Announces Additional Federal Funding to Support Manufacturing in Kansas
Today, on National Manufacturing Day, Representative Sharice Davids announced the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded $100,000 to Kansas Manufacturing Solutions (KMS) to provide support for local manufacturers. Based in Lenexa, KMS is the only federally supported Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program Center in Kansas. Davids worked across the aisle in the Kansas delegation to pass recent bipartisan legislation, which includes funding for MEPs like KMS, lowers costs for Kansas families, and boosts domestic manufacturing.
"With the help of Kansas Manufacturing Solutions, we are making more here at home and creating good-paying jobs, all while lowering costs for Kansas businesses and families," said Davids. "This additional funding for KMS and the recent supply chain legislation I supported are both major steps to unclogging our supply chains and lowering inflation."
"Kansas Manufacturing Solutions is pleased to serve as the Manufacturing Extension Partnership for Kansas," said Tiffany Stovall, Chief Executive Officer of Kansas Manufacturing Solutions. "This additional investment will help us provide crucial support to strengthen and grow domestic manufacturing, and invest in special programs such as Connex Kansas, our state supply chain database."
Davids and KMS CEO Tiffany Stovall visit Ronawk, a local biomanufacturer, and highlights investment in supply chains, innovation, and American manufacturing.
The funding announced today does not represent the full annual funding for KMS, but rather a permanent increase to their base annual award. Earlier this year, Davids announced renewed funding of over $2 million for KMS' work to support local manufacturers. In 2021, Davids announced an award of over $30,000 used to invest in special projects focused on supply chain, global competitiveness, technology acceleration, workforce development, and process improvement.
Davids has been a strong advocate for small and medium-sized manufacturers. Last month, she hosted a roundtable discussion with local technology and manufacturing leaders to discuss how legislations will help bring jobs to the area, lower costs for consumers, and support workforce development. Davids also recently visited several local businesses, including the Fairfax General Motors plant that went idle for months last year and local medical device suppliers who have been struggling to serve patients.
WATCH: Davids speaks about the impact of the recent investment in domestic manufacturing and innovation:
Kansas Manufacturing Solutions, formerly MAMTC, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and one of the first seven Manufacturing Technology Centers in the United States. This federal funding will allow them to provide additional manufacturing extension services to small and medium-sized manufacturers in Kansas. That includes services related to supply chain, manufacturing career awareness, technology acceleration and automation, process improvement, and business and leadership development.
Federal funding for this grant was authorized by H.R. 2471, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, which Davids voted to support earlier this year.