The Manufacturing Blueprint aims to advance the digital transformation of the thousands of manufacturing companies in Northeast Ohio. The goal is to inspire more companies to adopt practical, affordable Industry 4.0 technologies faster than the rest of the country. Lighthouses are regional beacons where companies can learn what is working in peer manufacturing environments.
To be a lighthouse, a company must:
- Deploy a technology or innovation that has relevance to other companies in the region
- Be willing to share it with other (non-competitive) companies at some frequency
- Allow your company to be highlighted as a community asset in collateral/websites, etc. focused on business attraction, retention and expansion efforts
Lighthouses do not need to work with any local provider to be considered.
The benefits of becoming a lighthouse include:
- Recognition in the regional Blueprint marketing efforts
- Visibility as an important contributor to the economic vitality and growth of Northeast Ohio
- Local and national media spotlights as a lighthouse, where possible
We will work with lighthouses to:
- Minimize disruption by scheduling and batching “tours” (ideally once/quarter leading a 60-minute tour). Could also share during regional events such as cluster meetings
- Local economic development organizations including local chambers of commerce will find other companies to periodically tour your sight and see the technology (as well as other things you want to show them in your company)
- Select and approve the companies that are allowed to view their facility, preventing competitive issues
Our goal is to identify a variety of Industry 4.0 applications across Northeast Ohio that grow and evolve over time.
Economic development partners:
- Will be able to offer visits through MAGNET to these local companies
- Will be given materials to be able to show off what these lighthouses have
- This is a unique part of our regional strategy that will enable economic development partners to connect their companies to technologies by seeing what others are doing
Not all new applications of technology will be considered lighthouses. Likewise, lighthouses today may evolve as technology evolves. In consultation with Team NEO, MAGNET will determine whether a company has a technology that can be used as a lighthouse based on the company’s geography, technology application, and mainly its applicability to local companies.
For more information, contact Erica Fitzpatrick at [email protected].