Image by Michael Kauer from Pixabay
A Northwest commercial equipment manufacturing company, with a reputation for quality and durability, faced intense competition from companies in Asia and Europe.
To better compete and grow the company, the CEO contacted NorthwestTAAC and entered the U.S. Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF) program.
The company’s CEO and NorthwestTAAC developed a strategy to create new products focusing on the changes in the commercial equipment market. The company also employed a local engineering consulting firm they had previously worked with to improve their core products. NorthwestTAAC contracted with each consultant and paid half of the project’s cost.
“CEOs know their businesses and industries. They choose the projects they want to pursue and pick the consultants they want to work with,” said David Holbert, Executive Director of NorthwestTAAC. “Our role is to help companies take advantage of [TAAF] funding by reducing the administrative burden for companies.”
“We are happy to partner with NorthwestTAAC,” said a company executive. “The effort helped us reduce costs in many ways.”
After three years of project implementation using the TAAF program, the firm increased sales by 36 percent and employment by 15 percent.