Florida MEP: Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2007

For more information please contact:
Gene Lussier
Board Chair, Florida MEP
954-565-0047

Lt. Governor Kottkamp Visits Local Manufacturing Company
Florida MEP officials discuss their role in stimulating Florida’s economy
Orlando, FL - Orlando-based Datamax Corporation welcomed Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp today for a tour of the facility to learn how the company has benefited from the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Florida MEP), a federally-funded program that helps small- to medium-sized manufacturers increase productivity and profitability.

Florida’s manufacturing industry continues to decline, with the state losing over 5,000 manufacturing jobs in 2006 alone. The Florida MEP works to enhance the manufacturing industry in Florida by strengthening its global competitiveness and the quality of manufactured goods, while helping to provide well-paying, high-value jobs for Florida residents.

“I was pleased to be able to see how the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership has impacted manufacturers like Datamax,” said Kottkamp after his tour of the facility. “It is clearly a program which has the potential to benefit manufacturing companies statewide, as well as strengthen our economy.”

Datamax contacted the Florida MEP in August 2006 to learn how to implement lean manufacturing practices. The adoption of lean manufacturing practices eliminates waste and increases productivity and profitability, allowing companies to gain a competitive edge in an increasingly global marketplace.

The Florida MEP’s representatives held several lean training sessions with the entire Datamax staff to help the team identify opportunities for improvement and implement effective solutions. With MEP’s assistance, Datamax was able to streamline their activities, allowing for improved quality of shipments, improved return processes, reduced turn-around time and elimination of inefficient positions, while retaining jobs.

Between 2001 and 2006, the Florida MEP served close to 800 small- to medium-sized manufacturers through federal funding alone. During those five years, the Florida MEP helped these companies create or retain more than 6,500 jobs that otherwise would not have existed, save nearly $100 million in costs, and increase or retain more than $470 million in sales. As a direct result, the Florida MEP helped these manufacturers generate or retain $295 million in additional tax and non-tax revenues, including $63 million at the state and local levels, thereby significantly benefiting the economy.

Currently, Florida is one of only five states in the nation which does not receive state funding for the MEP, which allows the Florida MEP program to draw down its federal dollars. Today, Florida MEP representatives stressed that through federal funding, the program has helped produced significant regional and statewide economic benefits, but with state matching funds, its impact could be much greater.

“Without state matching funds, the Florida MEP is in danger of losing federal funds,” said Gene Lussier, Chair of the Florida MEP Board of Directors. “This would mean our efforts to enhance the manufacturing industry in Florida, increase state revenues, and provide high-wage, high-value jobs for residents, would be lost. We hope Lt. Governor Kottkamp understands the need for the state’s support.” To learn more about Datamax, visit www.datamaxcorp.com. For more information about the Florida MEP, visit www.floridamep.org.

ABOUT DATAMAX CORPORATION
Datamax, a subsidiary of Dover Corporation (NYSE: DOV), specializes in the design, manufacture, and marketing of products for bar code and RFID labeling, including thermal demand printers, label, ticket and tag materials, and thermal transfer ribbons. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Datamax has representative offices throughout the United States and in Singapore, China, and the United Kingdom, as well as label converting and preprinting facilities in Robinson, Illinois. Datamax markets its products exclusively through a network of resellers in more than 65 countries worldwide. To learn more visit www.datamaxcorp.com.

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