Submitted by the Great Lakes Trade Adjustment Assistance Center
Have your sales been hit by import competition? If so, the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF) program may be able to help. For Ohio manufacturers, the program is managed by the Great Lakes Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (GLTAAC).
GLTAAC helps qualified manufacturers identify, develop, staff, and pay for critical business improvement projects. Our clients receive up to $75,000 in matching funds.
Although TAAF matching funds are important, GLTAAC clients also value the planning assistance they receive from our team of manufacturing professionals. Planning clarifies which projects can best support each client’s growth strategy. And matching funds help clients fast-track those important efforts – regardless of the project’s size:
Big impact from a quick and concentrated effort for an instrumentation manufacturer - This GLTAAC client in the Dayton region had just changed its name, but now needed a new logo. Working with a marketing consultant, the new logo was created after targeted conversations with the manufacturer’s key stakeholders. Now their website sports their re-designed logo, and the GLTAAC client states, “This TAAF co-funded project was a simple, small - but strategic - marketing effort. Two weeks of intense work and results.”
TAAF matching funds save both money and time for Dayton area foundry - When their existing ERP system was being phased out, this GLTAAC client knew they would use TAAF matching funds for outside IT expertise to migrate to a new system. However, they also knew they were short on a key resource: time. So, they also used TAAF co-funding to hire a consultant to serve as the internal project manager for the entire ERP upgrade process. This consultant took on responsibility for all aspects of the upgrade, which enabled the project to get done more quickly and smoothly. Total cost for both consultants: $91,000 (TAAF paid 50%).
How could TAAF matching funds help your company? If import competition has hurt your sales, don’t put off learning more about TAAF and GLTAAC. Here’s how to get started:
Contact GLTAAC Project Manager, Jani Hatchett at hatchett@umich.edu or 734-998-6227. Jani can quickly review the TAAF program with you and help you determine whether your firm would qualify for TAAF matching funds.
Follow us on LinkedIn and check out our website (www.gltaac.org).