8/31/00 - A CD that will help Montana manufacturers launch their own e-businesses will debut Sept. 21 at Compete Smart, the state-wide Montana Manufacturing Conference set Sept. 21 and 22 in Bozeman.

"E-Business Readiness Opportunity," the CD that Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) will roll out at the Compete Smart conference, will help manufacturers assess their own readiness for various levels of e-business. The CD stresses that clear goals and the right business foundations are important to the success of every manufacturing operation. That also holds true for launching a successful e-business strategy that will grow with a company’s needs, especially with commerce studies predicting business to business transactions to be the predominant source of Internet generated revenues by 2002.

The self-assessment CD can be taken home and used to examine what is needed and what is in place right now to begin or grow an e-business strategy. The assessment and its CD format were developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Manufacturing Extension Partnership Network Resources and will be launched nationally through the remaining MEP centers in 2001.

Each company attending the Compete Smart conference will received the CD prior to its official release. Participants will also hear John Brandt, editor-in-chief of Industry Week, a manufacturing magazine, deliver the conference's keynote speech, "Sex, Lies, and Leading Edge Strategies for Building Customer Value." Workforce issues and tips to help companies grow and Compete Smart will also be offered at the conference.

The conference is sponsored by MMEC, US West - now Qwest, Bonneville Power Administration, and the Montana Department of Commerce. MMEC is a statewide manufacturing assistance center with five field offices across the state including a home office at the Montana State University-Bozeman College of Engineering. For more information, cost, or to register call MMEC at 800-MEP-4MFG.