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California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC), a resource to provide assistance and solutions to the state’s manufacturers, is offering an assistance program to support California small- and medium-sized manufacturers that have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

CMTC received funding from the CARES Act, with $6 million allotted for small- to medium-sized manufacturers.

Manufacturers in the state with 500 employers or fewer can sign up to meet with a business stabilization consultant who will perform an assessment of the company to understand specific needs, challenges and opportunities.

After the assessment, consultants will provide a custom Plan of Action, detailing recommendations for the manufacturer. Resources will be provided to help recover and grow the business during and beyond the Covid-19 crisis.

The assessment and plan of action will be provided at no cost to the manufacturer.

Craig Scharton, a client advisor for the CMTC in Fresno, said they have brought on three consultants — two of them engineers with operations experience and a certified public accountant.

“If they need expertise to make adjustments to the way their operations are running, we have two really great people to help them become more efficient or to switch gears, and of course the CPA and CFOs can be very helpful in pointing them toward a plan of action regarding cash flow and other financial issues,” Scharton said.

Scharton said the program was implemented in the last month, but that the CMTC has already seen interest from around 40 manufacturers here in the Central Valley.

Scharton said that while many manufacturers are very good at manufacturing their products, they might be less versed in financial literacy, and that many small to medium sized manufacturers could benefit from the resources that are available to them from the CMTC.

“It only takes an hour of their time to talk with these experts, and it doesn’t cost them anything. We will do our best to make sure they are getting value out of it,” Scharton said.

For those interested in the assistance program, visit https://bit.ly/cmtc-covid-assist .