The Genesis Movement launched to strengthen Illinois manufacturing

The Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC), in partnership with the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance, has launched The Genesis Movement, a new approach to strengthen the Illinois manufacturing sector and its workforce. The Genesis Movement provides tools and strategies that promote manufacturing excellence. The initiative aims to increase the competitiveness of Chicago-area manufacturers and create a more skilled and adaptable workforce.

The program gives company leaders a chance to think in new ways about how they will achieve measurable and sustained results. Through an interactive 24-month program, IMEC will help manufacturers create and refine a structured approach to the people, process, and product aspects of their business; will look at the performance and underlying practices of the organization; take a long-term view of the company strategy and craft 90-day action steps; and focus on business fundamentals. During the next two years, The Genesis Movement plans to engage more than 80 manufacturing firms in the seven-county region around Chicago.

One component of the program launch is the Manufacturing Tour of Industry, which provides program partners a closer look at the diversity of manufacturing in the region. Novation Industries in McHenry is the first host. Additional stops on the industry tour include MedGyn Products in Addison and Ace Metal Crafts Company in Bensenville.

IMEC partnered with the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance, World Business Chicago, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Hitachi Foundation, and The Joyce Foundation to help guide the planning and implementation.