The award recipient serves as the manufacturing extension partnership (MEP) center in the commonwealth of puerto rico

This Cooperative Agreement award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), under the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program (CFDA 11.611), provides $249,861 to Puerto Rico Manufacturing Extension Inc. (PRIMEX) to serve as the MEP center in Puerto Rico. PRIMEX will deliver technical assistance to at least 80 manufacturers in Puerto Rico to support disaster recovery, supply chain resiliency, workforce retention, e-commerce, and financial assistance. The goal is to help manufacturers re-establish, refocus, and grow operations following the impacts of Hurricane Fiona, contributing to the economic recovery of Puerto Rico. PRIMEX will provide workshops, develop a web-based repository for disaster/resiliency resources, and directly assist companies in sectors such as food production, machinery, and chemicals. No subrecipient activities are planned under this award.

Expected outcomes

Most of the manufacturing companies within the sectors impacted by hurricane fiona claim significant damages related to infrastructure electrical power and water supply- to start operations, supply chain disruption raw materials, packaging- distribution/logistics issues, workforce shortages, financial restructuring, and of outmost importance business resiliency. As a result of activities that tackles disaster recovery/ resiliency opportunities/ and supply chain activities. Companies will be better prepared for future natural disaster events. The technical assistance services will directly support the companies in RE-establishing business operations.

Intended beneficiaries

In support of a survey conducted after hurricane fiona, the project focuses in the sectors NAICS 31-33 within the 1,814 manufacturing companies (2020 census) with a total employment of 74,065. From this group, our priority (target market) will be manufacturing companies with less than 100 employees totaling 1,484 - distributed among the 78 municipalities. This group (1,484) represents 82% of the total island manufacturers. The target beneficiaries include 78 municipalities in four (4) regions-with special interest the areas HIT the hardest- near hurricane fiona landfallsubrecipient activities: primex does not expect to enter into subrecipient relationships.