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About TMAC
The Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) exists to enhance the competitive position of the state's manufacturing sector. TMAC's manufacturing professionals work with a wide range of industrial firms, delivering training, providing technical assistance and implementing best business practices. Our particular emphasis is on the needs of small to mid-sized manufacturers. Focus areas include lean manufacturing and lean office principles, technology solutions, strategic management, quality systems, environment and safety.
TMAC is an affiliate of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which provides Federal funding. TMAC consists of seven partner institutions delivering services statewide. The Texas partners are: The University of Texas at Arlington; the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), part of The Texas A&M University System; The University of Texas at El Paso; The University of Houston; Southwest Research Institute; Texas Tech University; and The University of Texas – Pan American.
The Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center:
- Provides affordable statewide access to training and technical assistance that smaller manufacturers and those in rural areas would not otherwise have.
- Leverages partners’ funding and customer fees with federal dollars in a unique public-private partnership.
- Supports the competitiveness of Texas’ manufacturing sector by focusing on firms committed to continuous improvement and willing to invest in their own growth.
- Enhances the development of supplier relationships between large and small manufacturers in Texas, helping to keep dollars circulating within the state economy.
- Has a measurable positive impact on its customers and the state economy.
TMAC Funding
TMAC is funded primarily through a combination of customer fees and Federal support from NIST. TMAC customers pay for the hours of direct service they receive. NIST funding covers one-third of program expenses, which allows TMAC to maintain its experienced staff and the outreach capabilities required to serve smaller manufacturers. The current Federal funding level is $5.7 million a year, with renewals contingent upon acceptable performance. TMAC has been reviewed annually by NIST, commended for its accomplishments, and recommended for continued funding. This ongoing national commitment is critical to developing a more competitive manufacturing sector in Texas.
Manufacturers Assisted
Over the past eleven years, TMAC has served 3,650 different Texas manufacturing firms with at least one completed project or activity. This amounts to about 17% of all manufacturers in the state. The continued growth in repeat customers is a testament to the value of TMAC services to smaller manufacturers.
TMAC has compiled a strong record of service throughout the state. To date, TMAC has assisted more than 300 rural Texas manufacturers (i.e., those located in counties outside the state’s defined metropolitan areas), amounting to 11% of the rural manufacturing base. The Texas-Mexico Border region also has been well served by TMAC. Since 1995, the center’s manufacturing professionals have worked with nearly 700 companies in a 42-county area stretching from El Paso to Brownsville. TMAC's market penetration rate in the area is nearly 38%, more than double the statewide rate.
Cumulative Program Impacts
NIST conducts an independent survey of TMAC customers one year after project work is completed to determine how their operations have been impacted. The survey covers numerous measures of business improvement, from increased profit margin to reduced defect rate, and asks respondents to quantify the benefits of working with TMAC. From TMAC’s inception in early 1995 through the first quarter of 2006, TMAC customers have reported cumulative impacts totaling:
- More than $1.3 billion in new or retained sales;
- $399 million in cost savings and cost avoidance on materials, labor, inventory and equipment;
- $210 million in new investments in equipment, technology and the workforce; and
- Over 9,500 Texas jobs created or retained.
These figures all represent direct impacts reported by TMAC customers and not the indirect impacts on the economy at large. The direct, bottom-line impacts for these customers – measured as cost savings/avoidance plus the profit margin on sales – represent a return of 15 to 1 on the Federal investment in TMAC for recent reporting periods.
Office Locations
TMAC manufacturing professionals are based in 14 different locations across Texas, serving rural and border regions of the state as well as the metropolitan areas.
Contact TMAC
Texas manufacturers can access the expertise of more than 50 manufacturing specialists by dialing a single toll-free number, 1-800-625-4876, or emailing tmac@tmac.org.
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