Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Partnership (TMEP)
The University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, an agency of the UT Institute for Public Service, houses and manages the only Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Partnership (TMEP) cooperative agreement. The TMEP is part of a National Network of resource centers funded by the Department of Commerce.
The MEP National Network's mission is to strengthen and empower U.S. manufacturers. According to clients surveyed in FY 2021, the MEP National Network helped U.S. manufacturers achieve $14.4 billion in new and retained sales, $1.5 billion in cost savings, $5.2 billion in new client investments, and helped to create and retain 125,746 U.S. manufacturing jobs.
TMEP’s expertise runs deep. Experienced engineers, business professionals, SMEs, and qualified instructors all work in unison to create value for the states manufacturing sector day in and day out. TMEP’s eight Solutions Consultants work directly with businesses to provide assistance with process improvement, technology acceleration, cybersecurity, workforce development, and business and leadership management.
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Meet the TMEP Director
Dwaine Raper leads the Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Partnership serving the state of TN. Before joining CIS in 2007, Raper attained 15 years of manufacturing operations and supply chain management experience with manufacturing companies in the automotive and electronics industries.
Raper holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from East Tennessee State University. He also maintains supply chain management related professional certifications; Certified Production and Inventory Manager (CPIM) and Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), both from APICS – The Association for Operations Management.