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For decades, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Network has filled a critical role in American industry—providing training, consulting, and support services that are otherwise inaccessible or unaffordable for small and mid-sized manufacturers.

Unlike large corporations that can afford to hire private consultants, build internal training academies or retain specialty firms, small manufacturers operate with tight margins and limited resources. They don’t have endless budgets to adapt to shifting regulatory requirements, deploy new technologies, or upskill their workforce. And private-sector consulting models simply aren’t structured to serve these businesses at a price point they can absorb.

That’s where the MEP Network comes in. Centers like the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program exist to bridge this gap—offering high-quality, hands-on services that are supported through a cost-share model. Our services aren’t free. They are designed to be accessible, accountable, and impactful, delivering measurable results without creating an unsustainable burden on small manufacturers.

This public-private partnership model is a quiet success story in American economic development. In fiscal year 2024 alone, the national MEP Network helped 108,395 American workers keep or gain jobs; assisted 35,000 manufacturers in accessing critical services; spurred $15 billion in sales growth; and prompted $5 billion in new investments sparked by operational improvements.

At NJMEP specifically, the story is just as strong. Since 2000, NJMEP boasts the following impact:

• 20,278 jobs created or retained in New Jersey
• $130.03 return on every $1 invested through our programs
• $1.42 billion in wage impact supported across the state
• Over $515.6 million in new sales, $1.46 billion in retained sales, and $125.9 million in cost savings generated for New Jersey businesses

Unprecedented challenges

Despite this overwhelming record of success, the MEP system has faced an unprecedented challenge this year.

Earlier in 2025, funding for 10 MEP Centers was initially defunded when their contracts came up for renewal. After significant industry and stakeholder pressure, funding for those 10 centers was reinstated, but only temporarily, through the end of the year.

While we are grateful that manufacturers served by those centers will continue to receive support for now, this development is a stark reminder: the stability of the entire MEP Network is at risk if we do not reaffirm our national commitment to it.

The value MEP Centers deliver is not theoretical. It’s practical, tangible and proven. We don’t offer studies and reports. We offer results: streamlined operations, expanded production capacity, skilled workforces, strengthened supply chains, and empowered small businesses.

[T]he stability of the entire MEP Network is at risk if we do not reaffirm our national commitment to it.

If MEP Centers disappeared tomorrow, there would be no comparable alternative stepping in to serve the tens of thousands of small manufacturers we support every year.

Private consulting firms focus naturally on larger clients who can afford six-figure engagements. Meanwhile, NJMEP and the entire MEP Network specialize in making high-level expertise affordable and actionable for businesses that form the bedrock of local economies but are too small to otherwise access this support.

This model doesn’t just work. It pays dividends to taxpayers, manufacturers, workers, and communities.

Critical time

As the Trump administration and Congress continue to shape future funding decisions, we urge them to recognize that MEP Centers are not expendable line items. They are essential economic infrastructure.

Without the MEP Network, small manufacturers would lose critical support at the very moment when America needs to strengthen its industrial base, secure its supply chains, and reshore critical production.

We can either invest in the systems that empower American businesses to compete globally, or we can risk undermining the very manufacturing resurgence we claim to champion.

The decision should be simple.

The MEP National Network fills a gap the private sector cannot and will not fill. We deliver measurable impact. We fuel growth and innovation. And we make it possible for small manufacturers – the beating heart of American industry – to survive and thrive.

The time to secure and strengthen this investment is now. If you want to find out how to support more, reach out to us directly at njmep.org.

Peter Connolly is the CEO of the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program.