About Catalyst Connection
Catalyst Connection is a private not-for-profit organization headquartered in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We provide consulting and training services to small
manufacturers in southwestern Pennsylvania, accelerating revenue growth and improving
productivity. Through active collaboration with our clients and the manufacturing
community, we contribute to the growth, vibrancy, and ongoing robustness of
manufacturing in our region.
Catalyst Connection is supported, in part, by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
Department of Community and Economic Development, and by the National Institute of
Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
Letter From the President
Please accept our sincere condolences for anyone you may have lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. The year 2020 has proven to be challenging for many reasons, but losing a loved one is certainly the most painful, and our hearts go out to all of you.
On behalf of the Catalyst Connection team, I could not be more proud of the response of our manufacturing clients to the global pandemic. While worker safety has certainly been the top priority, manufacturers in our region have continued to meet customer demand, particularly those in critical pandemic response supply chains, implementing new technologies, evaluating cyber security risks, and continuing to upskill and hire workers.
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Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is based at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The national Program Office (NIST MEP) which provides the federal government funding for the MEP National Network ™ is located in Gaithersburg, MD.
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Industrial Resource Center (IRC) Overview
Manufacturing is critical to the health and prosperity of the Pennsylvania economy. Likewise, Industrial Resource Centers (IRCs) are critical to the small and medium-sized manufacturers that make up more than 92 percent of the Commonwealth’s manufacturing base.
The IRC Network represents seven private, nonprofit IRCs located strategically throughout the Commonwealth. These Centers were established to help manufacturers respond to changing markets, new technology and the competitive pressures of today’s global economy.
Working collaboratively, company by company, the Network’s mission is to help manufacturers envision where they want to be and assist them to achieve it, in addition to giving a voice to an increasingly vital part of the Commonwealth’s economy.
Catalyst Connection is one of the seven Industrial Resource Centers that promote, support and strengthen manufacturing in our state.
