15 U.S.C. § 278g–5 — Enterprise integration initiative

(a) Establishment: The Director must start an initiative to advance "enterprise integration" across the United States. This involves the Institute's various units, including its labs (like the Building and Fire Research Laboratory), the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program. The initiative builds on existing Institute and private-sector work, must involve government-industry groups, and must address integration needs for every major U.S. manufacturing industry as soon as possible. (b) Assessment: For each major manufacturing industry, the Director may work with industry groups, trade associations, professional societies, and others to identify what integration standardization and implementation activities already exist in the U.S. and abroad, and to assess where that industry currently stands. The Director may help build roadmaps so supply chains within an industry can work as one connected electronic system. These roadmaps must be based on voluntary consensus standards. (c) Authorized activities: To carry this out, the Director may work with industry groups, trade associations, professional societies, and others to: raise awareness of integration efforts in the U.S. and abroad, including among businesses majority-owned by women or minorities, through conferences and other means; help develop integration roadmaps; support developing, testing, spreading, adopting, and updating integration-related standards, including application protocols; and give technical help — and financial support if needed — to small and medium businesses running pilot integration projects. (d) Manufacturing Extension Program: The Director must make sure the Manufacturing Extension Program can advise small and medium businesses on how to get the expertise, equipment, and training they need to fully take part in integrated supply chains.