Clocking In: Voices of NC Manufacturing

Elastic Therapy, Inc., a compression wear manufacturer located in Asheboro, NC, strives to maintain its niche dominance in the hosiery industry. ----more---- Elastic Therapy, Inc. It may come as no surprise that a state with a rich textile history also has deep roots in the hosiery industry. According to IBIS World, North Carolina leads the nation in the state with the most hosiery manufacturing m...

The NC State University Wilson College of Textiles uses modern technology to take textile manufacturing into the future. ----more---- NC State University Wilson College of Textiles What does the healthcare, fashion, defense and advanced material industry have in common? They all utilize textiles as a way to invent. Long gone are the days where the word “textile” exclusively refers to woven fabric....

NCMEP partner, North Carolina A&T State University collaborates with NC manufacturers to cultivate the engineers of tomorrow. ----more---- North Carolina A&T State University Industrial engineers are professional problem solvers. Their role in manufacturing is to find ways to eliminate wastefulness in production processes. In this episode of Clocking In, we sit down with a North Carolina M...

A second-generation family business located in Charlotte, NC, is keeping the family legacy alive. ----more---- Tropical Foods Family businesses are great. They can help transfer family values, grow leaders, strengthen inter-generational bonds and they’re also a large part of the American economy. According to the Family Business Alliance, family enterprises employ 63% of the U.S. workforce. In add...

High Point furniture manufacturer, Custom Contract Furnishings, pivots to making gowns to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. ----more---- Custom Contract Furnishings According to AARP, the leisure and hospitality industry was the hardest hit by the pandemic.  Our guest, whose business has been focused on supplying a booming hospitality industry, saw three months’ worth of orders dry up—virtually—o...

Spindale North Carolina tissue manufacturer, Cardinal Tissue, works overtime to aid the tissue shortage. ----more---- Cardinal Tissue The pandemic caused a sudden surge in hoarding. As a result of people buying tissue in bulk and manufacturers not being able to keep up with the demand, toilet paper became one of the many products that was hard to find during the pandemic. Today I’m talking to a No...

A distillery in Statesville, NC, uses their equipment to produce highly sought-after hand sanitizer. ----more---- Southern Distilling Company Baking flour, paper towels, bicycles and canning jars. What do all these things have in common? They were all scarce at one point during the pandemic. Another item that was really hard to find on market shelves early in the pandemic and came recommended as a...

NCMEP Partner, UNC Charlotte Industrial Solutions Lab, collaborates with North Carolina industries to develop solutions ----more---- UNC Charlotte Industrial Solutions Lab No one likes to waste time, especially manufacturers. If there is a more efficient and faster way to conduct operations, manufacturers want in. This is why the Industrial Solutions Lab at the University of North Carolina at Char...

Durham-based NCMEP partner, Hangar6, is working to assist North Carolina manufacturing in achieving their product design goals. ----more---- Hangar6 Imagine you manufacture a product advertised to help install doorknobs. Customers order the product, but there’s a major problem. It doesn’t work. Embarrassingly, you recall the product and your organization’s customer loyalty suffers. You do a deep d...

Dr. Michael Walden, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor and extension economist, discusses how the economy and jobs have been affected by the pandemic. ----more---- Dr. Michael Walden The pandemic has done a number on our economy. The shut down necessary to stem the spread of COVID-19 caused the economy to recede and led to massive layoffs. To dissect the status of the economy, the manuf...

Mooresville, North Carolina manufacturer, Roush Yates, continuously strives for the competitive advantage. ----more---- Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions Automotive racing is a lot like manufacturing. The team with the best crew, finest parts and most skilled driver often has a competitive advantage. Just like the manufacturer with the best workforce, equipment and leadership has a one-up on the...

Raleigh-based electronic switch manufacturer, Electroswitch Electronic Products, strives for quality and innovation. ----more---- Electroswitch Electronic Products In business, flexibility is a strength, especially in times of uncertainty. The range of standard and custom products our next guest can design and produce has helped his company find their way through the pandemic. We talk with a manuf...

The award-winning injection molding manufacturer in Greensboro, NC, Core Technology, continues to expand despite the pandemic. ----more---- Core Technology Molding Corporation The pandemic has brought an abrupt end to the last 10 years of business and economic growth in the United States, resulting in many manufacturers suffering short and long-term damage. In spite of the situation, we talk with...

In this episode, we talk to someone whose mission it is to help create jobs for North Carolina. ----more---- NC State’s Office of External Affairs, Partnerships and Economic Development Jobs are the foundation of any thriving economy. When people have jobs, they get paid. When they get paid, they spend money. When they spend money, it bolsters the economy. This is precisely why organizations like...

Mertek Solutions founder Jerry Pedley combines his love for mechanics, work ethic and turns it into a thriving business. ----more---- Mertek Solutions According to Gallup, 70% of Americans view the American Dream as personally achievable. Our next Clocking In guest was a farm boy from Iowa who worked his way through the manufacturing industry and created a prosperous business in which he’s proud t...

In this uncertain time, Ben Kinney from Business North Carolina helps shed light on the current business climate in North Carolina. ----more---- Business North Carolina According to North Carolina’s Small Business and Technology Development Center, there are 179,773 employer businesses in North Carolina. 98.1% of them are small businesses. As of March 24, 2020, many of those businesses were deemed...

A small start-up that began in the home of Alisha Navarro, transforms into one of the most respected dog accessory manufacturers in the pet industry. ----more---- 2 Hounds Design There are almost 90 million dogs currently owned in the US. As dogs have become a more integral part of American life, their owners have sought more quality and variety in their little friend’s accessories. Our next Clock...

What started as an engineer’s basement invention has grown into one of the world’s most in-demand pressure regulators. ----more---- Equilibar Pressure control technologies are an integral part of many products and industries. They assist in supplying important operations with the appropriate amount of fluid or gas. Our next guest’s valves and regulators have been dubbed gold standard within pressu...

Founded by an ex-Navy pilot, VX Aerospace strives to be more than an aerospace manufacturer ----more---- VX Aerospace Dynamic composites are extremely useful in the advancement of the aerospace industry. The use of composites can reduce the weight of aerospace vehicles up to 20 to 50%. They have a high thermal stability and are resistant to fatigue and corrosion. With the ever growing demand withi...

Going 50 years strong, Hoffer Flow Controls hopes to maintain their influence across a broad array of industries ----more---- Hoffer Flow Controls Measurements make a difference. The wrong measurement of fluids could make or break a product or operation. In your home, a flow meter determines the difference between a $50 water bill and a $250 water bill. In the aerospace industry, a flow meter dete...

Manufacturing packaging in the era of online shopping ----more---- Virtually every item we receive comes in a package... whether it’s a brand new computer, clothes you ordered online or food you bought last minute for dinner. Probably most of us put little or no thought into where the packaging is actually manufactured and how it’s made. Package Craft, located in the sleepy town of Bethel, North C...

North Carolina State University Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) ----more---- Established in 1995, the North Carolina Manufacturing Partnership (NCMEP) is the official representative of the MEP Network in the State of North Carolina. The purpose of the partnership is to enhance the productivity, innovative capacity and technological performance of North Carolina based manufacturing firms. Our mi...

North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) Established in 1995, the North Carolina Manufacturing Partnership (NCMEP) is the official representative of the MEP Network in the State of North Carolina. The purpose of the partnership is to enhance the productivity, innovative capacity and technological performance of North Carolina based manufacturing firms. ----more---- Our mission, at NCMEP, is...

Polymers Center of Excellence (PCE) Established in 1995, the North Carolina Manufacturing Partnership (NCMEP) is the official representative of the MEP Network in the State of North Carolina. The purpose of the partnership is to enhance the productivity, innovative capacity and technological performance of North Carolina-based manufacturing firms. ----more---- Our mission, at NCMEP, is to help sma...

Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC) Established in 1995, the North Carolina Manufacturing Partnership (NCMEP) is the official representative of the MEP Network in the State of North Carolina. The purpose of the partnership is to enhance the productivity, innovative capacity and technological performance of North Carolina based manufacturing firms. ----more---- Our mission, at NCMEP, is to help sm...