American manufacturing has been on a steady growth streak for years now, but that wasn’t always the case. Back in the middle to late 1980s, U.S. industry was mired in a long, severe slump, and had been shedding plants and workers since the 1970s. The U.S. Congress and President Ronald Reagan stepped into the fray to try to help with the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. One element of that law was the establishment of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) under the auspices of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the subsequent development of the MEP National Network. Read the full article from www.forbes.com.