ManufacturingChange.org enables online volunteers to solve problems in developing countries for organisations that use manufacturing to create social change.[1]

The Tasks

The site enables volunteers to solve the following technical, non-technical and business problems for the organisations:[2]

  • Processes: design or improvement of production methods
  • Quality: improvement of quality level and quality systems
  • Product: improvement of manufacturability, design or cost
  • Equipment: location of donated equipment
  • Funding: location of new funding sources
  • Customers: location of new customers
  • Suppliers: location of new suppliers
  • Maintenance: equipment repair and systems improvement
  • Logistics: transportation and distribution help
  • Training: provision or location of online or in-person training
  • Research: technical or market research help
  • Marketing: promotion, pricing and strategy help
  • Business: accounting, purchasing, IT or HR help
  • Environmental: sustainability and ecological improvement
  • Health and Safety: accident-level and systems improvement
  • Other requests as inputted by the organisations

The Organisations

ManufacturingChange.org provides online support to social enterprises, charities, businesses and NGOs. The organisations do one or more of:[3]

  • employ marginalised workers (e.g. women, disabled, low economic status)
  • use part of their profits for direct benefit (e.g. orphans, education, health improvement)
  • produce or introduce poverty alleviating products
  • develop the social economy (e.g. fair trade, microfinance, cooperatives, permaculture)
  • improve the environment and sustainability
  • use part of their profits for indirect benefit (e.g. awareness, campaigning etc)
  • support other manufacturing-driven social organisations (funding, networking etc)

The Volunteers

ManufacturingChange.org online volunteers have diverse skills from technical, non-technical and business fields such as:[4]

  • Manufacturing: Production, Process Improvement, Lean, Quality Improvement & Systems
  • Engineering: Technical, Research, Repair, Service, Maintenance
  • Supply chain: Purchasing, Distribution and Logistics
  • Business: Finance, Marketing and Sales, Business Development, Management
  • Any other: e.g. Environmental, Sustainability, I.T., Health and Safety, Human Resources

Awards

The organisation was awarded a prestigious 2012 Manufacturing Leadership 100 Award, in the Advocacy category.[5]

History

ManufacturingChange.org was founded in 2011 by Daniel James Paterson and is an evolution of the HumanitarianManufacturing.org NGO founded in 2009.[6]

Notes

  1. ManufacturingChange.org[1]
  2. ManufacturingChange.org Tasks[2]
  3. ManufacturingChange.org Organisations[3]
  4. ManufacturingChange.org Volunteers[4]
  5. Manufacturing Leadership 100 (ML100) Awards[5]
  6. HumanitarianManufacturing.org[6]

External links

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