An Act concerning manufacturing and production business resource centers and supplementing P.L.1974, c.80 (C.34:1B-1 et seq.).

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):

"Authority" shall have the same meaning as provided in section 3 of P.L.1974, c.80 (C.34:1B-3).

"County college" means an educational institution established or to be established by one or more counties, offering programs of instruction, extending not more than two years beyond high school, which may include, but not be limited to, specialized or comprehensive curriculums, including college credit transfer courses, terminal courses in the liberal arts and sciences, and technical institute type programs.

"Institution of higher education" shall include a public institution of higher education and a private institution of higher education.

"Private institution of higher education" means an independent college, university, or institute incorporated and located in New Jersey, which by virtue of law, character, or license is a nonprofit educational institution authorized to grant academic degrees and provide a level of education which is equivalent to the education provided by the State's public institutions of higher education as attested by the receipt of and continuation of regional accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and which is eligible to receive State aid under the provisions of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, but does not include any educational institution dedicated primarily to the education or training of ministers, priests, rabbis, or other professional persons in the field of religion.

"Public institution of higher education" means Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rowan University, a State college, a county college, and any other New Jersey public university or college established or authorized by law.

"State college" means any of the State colleges or universities established pursuant to chapter 64 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes including any State college designated as a teaching university.

2. a. The authority, in consultation with the Business Action Center created in the Department of State and an institution of higher education, may designate an institution of higher education or other entity as a manufacturing and production business resource center to provide services and assistance to manufacturing businesses to assist them to modernize, maximize their efficiency, and expand their production through the development and commercialization of innovative products.

b. The authority shall grant this designation to any institution of higher education or other entity that meets qualifications established by the authority. The authority shall base the qualifications upon the ability of the institution of higher education or entity to provide specialized services and information to manufacturing and production facilities, which may include specialization in discrete aspects of the manufacturing and production process, or to provide more comprehensive services.

c. The authority shall refer a manufacturing business deemed eligible by the authority to a manufacturing and production business resource center or other organization qualified to provide services to small and mid-sized manufacturing businesses, which services shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) assistance with product development, including:

(a) a preliminary technical evaluation of a product and any design and materials issues,

(b) assistance in providing a connection with available research and development resources, prototype development resources, and product evaluation and testing resources, and

(2) assistance in production planning and inventory control;

(3) assistance in identifying appropriate factory and office automation and modernizing production capacity;

(4) assistance in identifying sources of supply, including any Internet-based listing of New Jersey-based suppliers of goods and services;

(5) assistance in establishing a quality assurance program;

(6) assistance with market analysis and development, including assistance in identifying export opportunities, provided by the Business Action Center;

(7) assistance with distribution issues;

(8) assistance in developing the skills of the existing workforce or procuring skilled workers;

(9) referral to financing resources; and

(10) assistance in preliminary patent and trademark searches.

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

While New Jersey, like many northeastern states, has experienced an exodus of manufacturing businesses, many manufacturers still do business in the State and there is potential to attract start-up manufacturing companies. For this reason, the bill provides for the designation by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (authority) of institutions of higher education or other qualified entities as manufacturing and production business resource centers, whose principal function is to assist client manufacturing businesses to modernize, maximize their efficiency, and expand their production. The authority is charged with referring appropriate clients to these centers. The centers will engage in collaborative initiatives with manufacturers for the purpose of establishing, applying, and deploying advanced manufacturing and production management techniques, including production planning, quality control, production facility and office automation, technology enhancement, and production strategies.