New Mexico MEP
Jun 24
Maker's MemoShane Valdes started Affordable Blind Pros in 2010 from home after working for 20 years in the window covering industry. His wife Jeanene joined the business in 2013, the year the couple credits as their official launch. The Four Corners company specializes in window blinds, serving the region’s customers in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and…
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Apr 28
Maker's MemoNew Mexico MEP aspires to be the premier solution provider to strengthen and grow New Mexico’s manufacturing. As a statewide assistance center, New Mexico MEP is dedicated to increasing the competitiveness of the state’s small and mid sized businesses. The Center’s experts and industry resource network help create the change that can make the difference.…
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Mar 25
Maker's MemoThe International Federation of Robotics has issued a report highlighting what it sees as the 2025 top global trends in robotics. According to the report, the global market value of industrial robot installations has reached an all-time high of $16.5 billion and has room to grow. Not surprisingly, the report lists Artificial Intelligence as its…
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Feb 25
Maker's MemoThe internet is the first place that potential customers look when searching for solutions to their challenges. Is your website optimized to pull cutomers in? Key words, or “keywords” in marketing vernacular, are the magnets that pull internet searchers to your website. They should be the words people type into the search box on Google…
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Dec 17
Maker's MemoGeopolitical risks that drive shipping, production, and other costs upward may be on the rise while the word undergoes disruptive changes. A 2023 Boston Consulting Group survey found that “trade disruptions have prompted many global companies to shift where they produce and source goods. But getting the desired results requires a difficult balancing act.” The…
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Aug 20
Maker's MemoJennifer Sinsabaugh, CEO and Executive Director of New Mexico MEP, will join Hunter McDaniel, CEO and Founder of UbiQD, Inc., to discuss advanced manufacturing opportunities in clean technology at the New Mexico Startup Forum. The two-day event, organized by Arrowhead Center at NMSU, will take place September 4 and 5 at Isleta Resort and Casino…
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Jul 16
Maker's MemoDr. Laurie Locascio, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director, visited New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) client Theta Plate Inc. in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 30, 2024. Theta Plate, a third-generation family-owned metal-plating business started in 1976, performs military standard and decorative electroplating of metals ranging from platinum to tin.…
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May 08
Maker's MemoThe Advanced Energy Equipment Income Tax credit was signed into law by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in February 2024. The credit, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through the end of 2032, offsets up to 20 percent of the costs of equipment to produce components that qualify under the federal Inflation Reduction Act’s 45X provision…
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Mar 18
Maker's MemoAccording to a recent article in Forbes, manufacturers that were intent on reducing their foreign reliance after COVID-19 supply chain disruptions have made little progress four years after the start of the pandemic. And now there is a new reason to be concerned. A double whammy, some say, may be headed our way due…
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Feb 21
Maker's MemoYou know us for the lean methodology consulting and workshops we offer, but did you know we also support small businesses by sponsoring partners’ workshops we believe could benefit our clients? Many of these workshops are related to business and financial management. We see time and again that cash flow management can help small businesses…
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Nov 26
Maker's MemoWhen Leo Ordoñez donned safety glasses, a yellow vest, and hearing protection for his Mfg Day 2023 tour of ABB Installation Products, the Jimmy Carter Middle School 8th-grader understood this was not an ordinary field trip. Ordoñez and his classmates learned firsthand about the products used to connect, ground, splice, terminate, and protect underground power…
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Oct 16
Maker's MemoNew Mexico MEP is proud to be an integral part of the New Mexico Space Valley Coalition, a team of public and private entities driving America’s space industry right here in New Mexico. By working together, we are laying the foundation of a holistic approach to space commercialization and exploration that is diverse and accessible…
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Jul 24
Maker's MemoSmall businesses, solar providers, nonprofits, and others are encouraged to participate in free grant writing workshops to learn how to prepare and apply for funds from the Rural Energy for American Program (REAP) and the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) programs. While the workshops are specific to these programs, participants will gain insight into the…
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Jun 20
Industry NewsFounded in 1980 by Ivan Clay and Ellis Groomer, Clay Groomer Machine Shop (CGMS) has fulfilled the San Juan Basin’s machining needs by producing quality work in a safe and timely manner. Their success has been a result of always going above and beyond customers’ expectations. Clay Groomer historically provided on-site and mobile machining, mechanical…
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May 21
Industry NewsWithin two years of purchasing Syzygy Tile Works in Silver City, Josh and Carolyn White knew they needed to expand the business to meet national and international demand for their high-end, handcrafted ceramic tiles. Josh had worked for the company for 16 years before the previous owner retired, and he quickly made improvements to shorten…
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Apr 25
Maker's MemoThe Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs award more than $2.5 billion in research & development investment dollars to businesses across the U.S. every year. The funds allow businesses to move their idea or innovation to commercial markets while retaining the rights to their product. Eleven federal agencies participate…
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Feb 21
Industry NewsWhen Cody Waldroup purchased ABC Canvas in 2016 from the company’s founders, the serial entrepreneur thought the business would fit nicely into his portfolio of revenue-producing investments because the 35-year-old business was well known in Farmington for quality custom canvas, including marine products, commercial and industrial covers, and shade products. What Waldroup did not realize…
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Jan 15
Industry NewsWhen the coronavirus pandemic temporarily halted tourist traffic and shuttered restaurants and bars throughout New Mexico, Black Mesa Winery in Velarde had an inventory of wine and hard cider worth $100,000 and fewer avenues to deliver its products to customers. Winery owners Jerry and Lynda Burd were able to keep products moving out the door…
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Aug 14
Maker's Memo“The manufacturing community has long struggled with finding skilled workers, citing, among other things, the misperceptions that manufacturing jobs underpay, are monotonous and involve working in dirty factories,” said Scott Dietz in a recent article. Dietz, of Catalyst Connection, an MEP Center based in Pittsburgh, continued, “With the adoption of Industry 4.0 — automation and…
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Jul 17
Maker's MemoNew Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (New Mexico MEP), in partnership with the Albuquerque chapter of the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and the New Mexico Coalition of Sustainable Communities, is inviting students to offer solutions to sustainability challenges faced by the state’s manufacturers. Students will compete with one another by submitting a short video or…
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Jun 19
Maker's MemoMeet the Matterport camera. One of its superpowers is replicating your facility in digital form. By stitching together 3D scans of photos and line art, Matterport can enable you to take a virtual walk through your manufacturing space. Perhaps you’re creating a 3D demonstration of how you make your product but there is sensitive information…
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May 14
Maker's MemoStrap on a pair of augmented reality goggles and explore tech that can be applied to any manufacturing process. At New Mexico MEP’s Tech Demo Workshop, you can test new technology before investing in it. If you’re curious about implementing additive manufacturing, collaborative robots, optical sorting equipment and other tech in your facility, call us…
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Mar 13
Maker's MemoWould adding automation to your company improve your bottom line? What kind of tech would best boost your competitive edge? Before investing in it, explore new technology in New Mexico MEP’s Tech Demo room. NM MEP Automation Specialist Wesley Eccles can demonstrate the tech, from robotic arms and 3D printers, to quality control cameras, and…
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Feb 13
Maker's MemoHelp build excitement around New Mexico’s manufacturing careers. Submit your video! The education and workforce development nonprofit Bridge of Southern New Mexico, in partnership with the New Mexico Public Education Department, is requesting recorded personal interviews it can share with students to build awareness about manufacturing careers. The team is particularly interested in showcasing machinists,…
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Dec 13
Maker's MemoIt’s true, we’re back to making on-sight visits! Call us to discuss a challenge we could help you address, and we’ll schedule a time to visit your facility! And speaking of enriching in-person events, don’t miss the Fundamentals of Lean Manufacturing Public Workshop next month. Workshop participants will learn about reducing work in process, promoting quality…
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Aug 15
Maker's MemoIn response to New Mexico manufacturer feedback, New Mexico MEP is developing a new workshop designed to help workers become proficient in the use of tools and measurements used in manufacturing. Classes, which are expected to be offered beginning in the fall of 2021, will be hands-on and will impart the knowledge that manufacturers have…
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Jul 18
Maker's MemoWhen you want to know something, what do you do? You Google it, of course! But if you want to understand how the MEP National Network is approaching workforce development across the 50 States and Puerto Rico, what do you do? Well, you may not be able to just Google it yet – but we’re…
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Jun 14
Maker's MemoUsed in cyberattacks that can paralyze organizations, ransomware is malicious software that encrypts a computer system’s data and demands payment to restore access. To help organizations protect against ransomware attacks and recover from them if they happen, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published an infographic offering a series of simple tips…
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May 15
Maker's MemoWhen Dave Keicher, vice president of Integrated Deposition Solutions (IDS), requested marketing and sales growth assistance in early 2020, New Mexico MEP saw an opportunity to innovate by adding services not typically provided by the center. IDS (https://www.idsnm.com/) is an eight-year-old electronic-printer company that uses technology commercialized from Sandia National Laboratory to embed electronics into…
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Apr 19
Maker's MemoJack’s Plastic Welding enjoys a wide customer base that covers the gamut of human activity. From river rafting to the oil and gas, medical, and water industries, and everything in between, the Aztec manufacturer builds products for local customers first, and then adapts them to fit a wider market. “We often hear people comment ‘Isn’t…
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Feb 14
Maker's MemoBy Finance New Mexico Before joining ACME Worldwide Enterprises 13 years ago, Managing Director Eugene Moya had worked for large companies that were registered with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). But he had never led a company through ISO registration and didn’t think ACME was big enough to warrant the investment of time and…
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Jan 17
Maker's MemoOSHA published a Final Rule to amend its recordkeeping regulation to remove the requirement to electronically submit to OSHA information from the OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) for establishments with 250 or more employees that are required to routinely keep injury and illness records.…
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Nov 15
Maker's MemoCarla Gallegos-Ortega’s homemade salsas were a hit with family and friends for as long as she can remember. In 2017, she entered the Salsa Festival in Albuquerque’s Old Town and enlisted her daughter and a few friends to help her produce 16 gallons of salsa in an outdoor tent. She left that festival with an…
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Oct 19
Maker's MemoAn October 2020 report released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office offers opinions by the business and manufacturing community about Artificial Intelligence. The report, Public Views on Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Policy, is based on comments the USPTO received from 197 stakeholders, including individuals, associations, corporations and foreign IP offices in 2019…
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Sep 13
Maker's MemoJTIP funds classroom and on-the-job training for new jobs in expanding or relocating businesses for up to 6 months. The program reimburses 50-75% of employee wages. These trainees can be new employees, or those currently employed looking for higher-wage promotions. These funds are specifically set aside by the Legislature each year and can only be…
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Aug 16
Maker's MemoAs we travel about the state talking with manufacturers, we find there is an uneasiness about the requirements for safety. So we offer the following outline that introduces the major elements required for most companies, starting with employer responsibilities. Provide a workplace free from serious recognized hazards, and comply with standards rules and regulations issued…
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Aug 16
Maker's MemoThe Delicious New Mexico local food e-commerce and distribution enterprise was developed by the Rio Grande Community Development Corporation at the South Valley Economic Development Center, in partnership with Agri-Cultura Network and the Hispanic-American Institute, under grant AM170100XXXXG102 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Delicious New Mexico helps local farmers, ranchers, and food producers conduct…
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Jun 14
Maker's MemoThe New Mexico COVID-19 Emergency Supply Collaborative‘s success in delivering much-needed supplies to medical facilities is a story worth sharing. During the collaborative’s inception, our office was closed but NM MEP’s work kept going. MEP’s Innovation Directors (IDs) met weekly with businesses or regional partners. For example, Denise Williams was part of the Farmington group, which…
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May 17
Maker's MemoAll of us at New Mexico MEP want to acknowledge the nimble and innovative contributions the following companies have made in the fight against COVID-19. A BIG THANK YOU TO: The manufacturers that have uploaded their capabilities to the NM Emergency Supply Sourcing and Manufacturing website https://www.nmcovid19.org/. That information has resulted in PPE and other…
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Apr 15
Maker's MemoA website dedicated to recruiting New Mexico suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, makers and testing-centers in the fight against COVID-19 has been launched by several of the state’s universities, research institutions and manufacturing support organizations. The website aims to quickly source, produce and test needed medical and other supplies that will bolster on-the-ground efforts to stop the…
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Apr 06
Maker's MemoManufacturers and Innovators Encouraged to Upload Capabilities to website at https://nmcovid19.org. A website dedicated to recruiting New Mexico suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, makers and testing-centers in the fight against COVID-19 has been launched by several of the state’s universities, research institutions and manufacturing support organizations. The website aims to quickly source, produce and test needed medical and…
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Feb 17
Maker's MemoSince 1984, Navajo Spirit Southwestern Wear has been creating and selling Native American-inspired clothing and craft items through retailers, gift catalogs, online sales and Indian art fairs. Today, eighty percent of revenue is generated from its retail shop in historic downtown Gallup, where eight employees cut and sew garments designed by artist Virginia Yazzie Ballenger.…
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Jan 24
Maker's MemoProcess Equipment and Service Company Inc. (PESCO) has been sending its new-hire employees to lean manufacturing workshops for years. The practice has paid off, according to Craig Mayberry, PESCO’s Manager of Manufacturing Excellence. The 50-year-old engineering, design and manufacturing company that serves the on-shore oil and natural gas industries from its Farmington headquarters is one…
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