MANUFACTURING GROUP HELPS AREA BUSINESSES

The Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center (MAMTC) is a well kept secret.

But that's not what the center wants, said Russ Lindenlaub, executive director of the Missouri office, which is headquartered in Rolla.

"We help Missouri businesses and we want them to know it," he said.

Lindenlaub was in Cape Girardeau recently to visit with MAMTC project managers Dewayne Whitener and Robert F. Janota, who work out of the Industrial Technology Department at Southeast Missouri State University.

"We can provide hands-on engineering and technical assistance to manufacturing companies," said Lindenlaub. Other MAMTC services include seminars, marketing plans, product development and testing, manufacturing processes, and environmental strategy.

MAMTC-Missouri is a program of Missouri Enterprise Business Assistance Center, a not-for-profit group that partners with the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Services are aimed at solving technical and operational problems, said Lindenlaub.

Field offices are located in seven Missouri cities: Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Joplin, Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis and Rolla.

MAMTC is financed by a combination of resources, including client fees. The program is partially supported by the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

During fiscal year 1998, MAMTC-Missouri served more than 650 manufacturers in 62 counties -- including three in Cape Girardeau County and others scattered throughout the Southeast Missouri area.

Projects manager here have had experience in many areas the center covers, said Lindenlaub. "We'll visit with manufacturers and their staffs, and help prepare an assessment."

Whitener previously worked at M&W Manufacturing here, and at Dana Corp. He is a certified quality manager, quality engineer and quality auditor, by the American Society of Quality.

Janota previously worked with Safety Kleen in environmental issues. He is certified by the Institute of Hazardous Materials as a hazardous materials manager.

Janota and Whitener can be contacted at 651-2304.