Supplier Scouting

Manufacturers as well as federal, state and local agencies need critical products that are in short supply to ensure our nation’s health and safety as well as our national and economic security. Small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) are especially challenged with sustaining operations in light of current conditions. There is a widespread struggle to find domestic manufacturing suppliers to meet present needs.

The MEP National Network™ is able to connect U.S. manufacturers that have relevant production capabilities and capacities with other manufacturers – enabling them to fulfill current market and societal needs. We can then assist those manufacturers in actually delivering needed products.

Locating Difficult-to-Source Needs

The MEP National Network’s Supplier Scouting assistance can be applied on a national, regional or local scale. By leveraging our extensive relationships and knowledge of U.S. manufacturer capabilities, we are able to identify manufacturers’ production and technical capabilities and connect them with supply chains of larger companies and government agencies.

The MEP National Network works with public and private organizations to identify U.S. suppliers for difficult-to-source needs. Supplier Scouting facilitates the interaction between top-of-supply chain companies and government agencies, with U.S. SMMs to help identify new suppliers who can produce hard-to-source items.

Purdue MEP can support your vendor, materials or technical search by identifying:

• Technical and process capabilities.
• Production capacities.
• Ability to make products.
• Manufacturers to pivot production to critical supplies.

Domestic manufacturing capabilities and capacities can produce any item needed by our nation’s supply chains. Purdue MEP's Supplier Scouting program provides a viable means by which U.S. manufacturing can be catalyzed to produce critically needed items in the near term. Contact Purdue MEP today by completing the form to the left! 

Executive Order to Strengthen Buy American Provisions Mentions MEP

“Connects new businesses to contracting opportunities by requiring active use of supplier scouting by agencies. This Executive Order directs agencies to utilize the Manufacturing Extension Partnership — a national network in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, that supports small and medium-size manufacturers — to help agencies connect with new domestic suppliers who can make the products they need while employing America’s workers.”

The White House has released a statement on the order which outlines all the provisions it is expected to include. 

Purdue MEP's Critical PPE Manufacturing Initiative 

In light of the impact of the Coronavirus throughout the United States and the rest of the world, our organization is doing all we can to ensure businesses are prepared. We recognize this pandemic has impacted our daily lives, as well as manufacturing companies and their respective supply chains.

With Indiana being a national leader in manufacturing, we are in a position to help address these shortages. As such, Purdue MEP is creating a database for companies with capabilities to fill the market needs.

The primary opportunities to serve in this initiative are:

• Currently approved Indiana medical device manufacturers seeking technical assistance to increase output or capacity for their existing PPE products.
• Currently approved Indiana medical device manufacturers seeking help finding suppliers to increase output or capacity for their existing PPE products.
• Currently approved Indiana medical device manufacturers seeking assistance to produce new types of PPE.
• Other Indiana manufacturers offering their capabilities or capacity to begin making PPE components or products.

If your company fits into one of the categories above, please submit your company’s information here, and one of our industry experts will be in touch to assist your company.

PPE Manufacturing Initiative Testimonials:

Face Masks / Respirators:

• Hospitals around the state and nation are continuing to have difficulty acquiring PPE for their employees. Since early March, Purdue MEP has been actively working to identify suppliers with available inventory of medical PPE and equipment. Purdue MEP recently helped a rural Indiana hospital connect with a supplier who provided them with 4,000 medical-grade face masks.
• Purdue MEP is assisting a large multi-state clothing company with Indiana-sourced N95 materials for immediate COVID-19 production PPE response. This assistance will aid the company in producing up to 150,000 masks per day on an ongoing basis. Several similar local supply requests are also being coordinated by the Purdue MEP team.
• Purdue MEP successfully connected an Indiana manufacturer with a distributor that was able to supply them with 400 KN-95 face masks.

Face Shields:

• Wabash National is using their production facilities in Frankfurt to make plastic face shields for their community. Purdue MEP successfully connected them with a Central Indiana healthcare network to get thousands of these urgently-needed face shields to the front lines. For more information about Wabash National’s response to the critical PPE shortage, click here. 

Hand Sanitizer:

• Purdue MEP is working diligently with an Indiana bottle manufacturer, to connect them with manufacturers of hand sanitizer. So far, 3 US manufacturers who have a critical need for plastic bottles have been connected to this Indiana company. Purdue MEP anticipates connecting even more companies in the days and weeks ahead, as these plastic bottles are in high demand.

Supply Chain:

• Purdue MEP is actively working with a local manufacturer in Fort Wayne with newly established access to facemasks, isolation gowns, gloves, and thermometers and assisting with the resolution of downstream supply chain challenges.