Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/543722
8 | /INSIGHT ON MANUFACTURING • July 2015 w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m CONNECTION c o n t i n u e d what New North would like to implement. Outcomes 'very positive' Among businesses that have participated in the clusters and the marketplace online, the outcomes they've experienced have been "very positive," Loden says. More than 80 percent of company leaders said participation was beneficial and 25 percent received direct contracts as a result of their involvement. Half developed new business relationships. "e research and the experience is that they will get direct benefits back through that participation," Loden says. "And that comes in the form of new transactions." Additionally, business leaders have told Loden that through their participation in the Lakeshore cluster, they've made connections with other company leaders that they wouldn't have been able to connect with before. ose relationships are key to developing new contracts. "People oen think about it being a competition, and how do you get the businesses that are potentially competitors to connect and share anything?" Loden says. "Really, you need to think about it instead as a 'co-opetition' type of approach." So far, New North has been working with partners including the Milwaukee-based Water Council, the Midwest Energy Research Consortium and the Wisconsin understand how they connect or what overlaps from industry to industry." at way, you can either present them to new markets or explore new innovation, she says. "Contracting runs a pretty large gamut in regards to type of business, but what we're working particularly on or focusing more on are those that are in the manufacturing sector," Loden says. Because of the focused nature of manufacturing, those companies might not have explored how their capabilities fit into other supply chains. But the opportunities are there. For example, a company that makes labels for defense vehicles might find a market producing labels for other trucks or equipment, or a company that makes an O-ring for one industry might be able to refine it for another, Loden says. "e potential for this is pretty substantial in regards to having a leading-edge resource tool for both businesses that are looking for Aerospace Partners to develop supply chains in those sectors. e effort is also analyzing the capacity of the forestry industry in the northern counties and has plans to work with the food and beverage industry and alternative energy companies. "I think people tend to forget that in sectors or cluster work, we tend to put them into silos: It's manufacturing, it's agriculture, it's energy," Loden says. "Well, oen those all have interconnected relationships, so it makes sense to "These are the kinds of things that New North needs to do, and will be really helpful for further economic development here. It's a great idea and a great concept, and I think if we do more of these kinds of things, it's going to make a difference." – Mark Kaiser, CEO of Lindquist Machine Corp. When Oshkosh Corp. (pictured) reduced production and staff due to defense cuts in recent years, its suppliers witnessed a ripple effect. PHOTO COURTESY OSHKOSH CORP.