Premium Associate Member Spotlight: Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center
This article appeared in the April 2026 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.
Manufacturing businesses have several needs in common: to adopt technology, better manage supply chains, boost operational efficiency and leverage leadership development opportunities for their teams.
There are many avenues businesses can take to address these challenges and building a custom roadmap ahead of time is essential, according to Ingrid Tighe, President of Plymouth-based Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, whose consultants work with businesses toward these initiatives.
“Our team members have been plant managers. They’ve been engineers. They’ve been continuous improvement officers,” she says. “They’ve seen the good, the bad and everything in between, so they understand.”
Leadership Development
The biggest need is leadership skill development, Tighe says.
Businesses often promote employees with technical skills into supervisory roles. While that’s practical, supervisors require different skillsets.
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Training in operations planning, company values, leadership styles, behavioral characteristics, project management, communication, delegation, conflict resolution and performance evaluation can be helpful, says Tighe.
A business that solidifies succession plans in advance may find itself in a better position as well.
Operational Efficiency and Safety
Manufacturers have reaped success through efficiency models such as Lean Six Sigma concepts and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) protocols — and these concepts can be even more fruitful alongside additional, personalized classes, programs and business strategies.
Businesses may not recognize how operations can be more efficient — such as by transforming a plant’s layout to minimize time spent walking from one machine to another — so a consultant can bring in a fresh perspective.
“You have to get all your ideas on the table, organize them into buckets, set priorities and figure out a timeframe and roadmap to get it all done,” Tighe says.
Supply Chain Management
Preparing for possible supply chain disruptions by building relationships with back-up suppliers ahead of time is important.
If you only have one supplier and that company does not have the inventory, you can’t produce the products and your clients’ projects will be delayed, Tighe says. With back-up suppliers on hand, however, you can mitigate the problem.
Business leaders are often stretched so thin that they can’t find time to develop such contingency plans, so MMTC supports them by identifying matching suppliers and ways to address other challenges, she says.
Technology Implementation
Managers realize they should leverage automation to stay competitive, yet do not know where to start.
“It’s this big jigsaw puzzle of solutions,” Tighe says, adding that their consultants can help them put the pieces together systematically.
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Expanding our work in AI, advanced manufacturing technology adoption and digital transformation to accelerate manufacturing competitiveness.
Business leaders also might hesitate due to costs. However, not every solution involves a large price tag. More cost-effective technologies can be just as helpful, such as the use of AI for performance benchmarking.
Manufacturers who take a step back to identify pertinent solutions, particularly with the help of an outsider’s perspective, can resolve challenges in an easier and more cost-effective manner than they may expect.
Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center is an MMA Premium Associate Member and has been an MMA member company since March 1999. Visit online: the-center.org.