Wyoming manufacturing center distinguished as a national best with core focus, clear goals

LARAMIE — Four years ago, Manufacturing Works, Wyoming’s extension of a national manufacturing partnership network, was one of the poorest performing centers in the country, according to Center Director Rocky Case.

Today, a recent national achievement distinguished the center as one of the roughly top 20% of performing manufacturing centers in the United States.

Manufacturing Works is a collaborative program with the University of Wyoming that provides a variety of services to manufacturing programs across the state.

According to Steve Farkas, UW’s associate vice president for economic development, the company has “supported the state’s manufacturers, producers and entrepreneurs in growing their revenues, increasing their productivity and performance, and strengthening their global competitiveness.”

Manufacturing Works was recently awarded a score of 100 on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) impact metrics report. Case shared this is the highest score a manufacturing center can receive.

“What they’re measuring is, ‘did we help a company increase their sales? Did we help a company retain or add jobs? Things along these lines,” Case said.

“That score comes from our clients. We survey a subset of all the clients that we work with every quarter, and their responses are what drive that score.”

Case added that implementing a core focus on process procedures and outlining clear goals played a key role in advancing Manufacturing Work’s reach and impact.

“We have come a long way. Just in terms of course correcting, reputation, and making sure that the work that we do with Wyoming manufacturers is impactful to their business and then overall to the Wyoming economy,” he said.

Farkas added to this, highlighting the hard work of Case and the team to advance the center.

“Rocky and his team do an exceptional job supporting Wyoming’s manufacturing community. Their focus on development and retention of this critical sector of Wyoming’s economy has translated to many success stories that I am proud to have been associated with,” he wrote in an email.

Case himself pointed to the Manufacturing Works team, saying that this score wouldn’t have been possible without their efforts.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the team that we’ve assembled that’s really executed the work to get us where we are, to get us that national recognition,” he said.

Not only do the clients benefit from Manufacturing Works’ services, but Case explained that their work can positively impact the Wyoming economy as a whole in addition to individual communities across the state.

“It’s all about the direct, indirect and induced impacts of the work that we’re doing,” he said. “So the direct impacts of our work on approximately a $2 million investment have led to about $100 million of direct economic impact. And because those jobs exist, other services have to exist.”

“It grows the overall base of the manufacturing ecosystem in the state,” he added.

Case noted that the Laramie community itself is impacted by the program’s work. Without naming any clients, he mentioned that certain businesses in town are implementing some “very high-tech things” that he feels is very significant to the manufacturing sector in Laramie.

Pursuing and implementing these new tech innovations such as AI and virtual reality will be crucial for the manufacturing work currently happening in the state as well as Wyoming’s overall economic development, according to Case. He described his work as being directly impacted by these developments and is ready to head the challenge.

“It’s just an exciting time to be in what I call a ‘disruptively innovative space’,” he said.

“If you’re not on board and getting on board and embracing these technologies, you’re going to get left behind. Your competitors are doing it, and so you probably ought to consider how you can, as well.”