Gov. Jim Doyle was right to propose an increase in spending on a program that helps save and create manufacturing jobs in the state. The Legislature ought to accept the governor’s $3 million funding plan for the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership in the state’s 2005-07 budget.
WMEP is a subsidized consulting service that uses expertise from the state’s technical colleges and universities to help small and mid-size manufacturers become more efficient. For example, the partnership worked with Dane Manufacturing Co. in Dane to increase production, yielding a $242,500 increases in sales and $50,000 in cost savings.