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Montana Manufacturers Information System

Manufacturing in Montana is a major and growing industry. (For a description of manufacturing see Montana's Manufacturing Industry.) However, the sector has yet to reach its full potential, with only 6 percent of the state’s labor income generated in manufacturing vs. 15 percent for the nation as a whole.

A major reason for this disparity is Montana’s vast geography and sparse population. Spread out over the state, manufacturers often don’t know of each other’s existence. Without contact with other businesses, they are often unable to build the beneficial relationships enjoyed by manufacturers and industrial service providers in more urban settings.

The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research and Montana Business Connections, along with Montana State University’s Montana Manufacturing Extension Center and the Montana Department of Commerce , have built the Montana Manufacturers Information System (MMIS) to address the geographic disadvantages Montana manufacturers face. The MMIS brings Montana Manufacturers closer to each other electronically, if not physically, by providing detailed and uptodate information about each manufacturer's products, processes, and capabilities in one free easily accessible website.

Funding for the MMIS was provided by the U. S. Department of Commerce ’s Telecommunications Opportunities Program and Economic Development Administration .

In addition the MMIS will help Montana manufacturers locate potential new customers by linking them with worldwide markets. It will also identify suppliers that are Montana firms, allowing money to stay in the state. The specific and complete information on products and services could lead to new or expanded Montana businesses. Manufacturers and decision-makers will use the MMIS to:

identify new markets, new sources of materials, supplies, and services;
pursue opportunities to supply products and services now being purchased out of state;
locate potential partners for cooperative production, marketing, buying, and shipping;
analyze the condition and outlook of Montana’s manufacturing industries.

We have been adding Montana manufacturers to the MMIS by sectors, starting with wood product manufacturers. We have added firms that manufacture machinery, equipment, instruments and fabricated metal products and are currently adding firms in the various light manfuacturing sectors.

The MMIS can be searched by keywords or terms and has several ways to browse the manfuacturers in the system. Participating manufacturers can update and add to their profiles at any time using a password supplied by the system. Manufacturers not currently listed will soon be able to add themselves.

The MMIS does not provide lists of addresses, emails or phone numbers to commercial interests.

Neither, Montana Business Connections nor the Bureau of Business and Economic Research guarantees that information contained in a manufacturer's profile is accurate or timely. Any user of the information contained in the MMIS should directly verify that information before acting on it.

Manufacturers, industrial service providers and others are encouraged to inquire about the MMIS or simply send information about themselves to:

           Montana Manufacturers Information System
           The University of Montana-Missoula
           32 Campus Drive #6840
           Missoula, MT 59812-6840
           Phone: Todd Morgan
           Email: mmis@business.umt.edu

Montana Manufacturers Information System is a joint project of Montana Business Connections and the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, both within the

Contact the Montana Manufacturers Information System webmaster via email.