MilTech helps firms meet military demands

The Daily Inter Lake

When U.S. troops rescued Pfc. Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital in 2003, they put her in a "Rescue Wrap" - a down-filled, sleeping-bag-like wrap with pockets for intravenous lines and heat packs.

The wraps, which help prevent post-injury trauma by keeping patients warm and comfortable, are made in Polson.

After the exposure in the high-profile rescue, the manufacturer, Doctor Down Inc., received more orders from the U.S. Department of Defense than it could fill. The company was making 150 Rescue Wraps a year; the defense department wanted 10,000.

That's when MilTech stepped in.

"We set up outsourced manufacturing, so he [Bob Ricketts, Doctor Down's owner] didn't have to try to do it all himself or expand himself," said Paddy Fleming.

Fleming is MilTech's field engineer, and although his office is in Kalispell, he rarely spends time behind his desk. Three-quarters of his work takes place in the field, working with small companies like Doctor Down all over the Pacific Northwest.

MilTech is a collaboration between the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center, which provides consulting and other support to small manufacturers, and TechLink, a Bozeman-based company funded by the U.S. defense department.

Every year, military labs come up with hundreds of patents - more than they could possibly develop. TechLink sells those patents to private companies, which develop the products for the U.S. military.

The federal government has long relied on small manufacturers to supply products, particularly during wartime. During the first Gulf War, the Department of Defense relied on small businesses to supply products for U.S. troops. When the United States again went to war in the Middle East, the defense department expected to get supplies from the same manufacturers, but ran into a snag.

"During the second Gulf War, they went to buy more products, and most of those small manufacturers don't exist any more," Fleming said.

Part of MilTech's job is making small businesses more sustainable, he explained. One way to achieve that is to help those businesses sell their products to other customers in addition to the U.S. military.

MILTECH IS a pilot program funded by the Department of Defense. Al Deibert, MilTech's program director in Bozeman, wrote a proposal to Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., a couple of years ago. Burns presented the proposal to the Defense Appropriations Committee, which earmarked funds for it.

Since that time, Deibert and Fleming have worked with about 50 companies, most located in the Northwest. Fleming covers Montana, Oregon, Washington and Idaho; Deibert oversees projects in Northern California, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

They both have "years of experience" that have taught them how to help companies, Fleming said. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a master's in business administration. Deibert has bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial engineering.

Both men also have worked for the manufacturing extension center and enjoy helping manufacturers, Fleming said. There are some things, such as product design, that are outside their expertise, but they still find a way to assist clients.

"If we get to a project we don't feel qualified to do, we'll bring in a third party," he said.

The manufacturers they assist make everything from Rescue Wraps to snail-shell bandages (snail shells are natural coagulants). In Kalispell, MilTech is beginning to work with Nomad Technologies, which makes mobile communications trailers.

MilTech is helping the company streamline its process to reduce lead time, Fleming said.

"It's been a great opportunity for us," said Clay Binford, Nomad's vice president of marketing and sales. "It really opened up the door for us to be able to access some expert advice that otherwise we may not have been able to utilize."

Because MilTech is already funded by the Department of Defense, clients can use its services free of charge.

"They're working with technology that the Department of Defense critically needs, and it thinks that this is a very good use of its funds," said Will Swearingen, executive director of TechLink. "The reason for that is that the companies that we work with are almost all small companies, and they tend to be more innovative but also more cost-effective than some of the largest defense contractors.

"The Department of Defense recognizes that they're saving lots of money buying from small companies as opposed to defense contractors, so they don't mind seeing MilTech money spent to help the companies meet their orders."

But that doesn't mean any company can use MilTech at any time. Manufacturers have to meet strict requirements to be eligible.

"The restrictions are pretty tight," Fleming said. "They have to have a Department of Defense contract and have to have an innovative product."

Those products must be things that save lives or have to do with battle readiness and performance on the field, said Steve Holland, director of the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center.

"Since we're a pilot program, we don't have a lot of capacity, so we focus on the most important things we can find," he said. "Later on we may expand, but for now, those are our two priorities."

MILTECH MAY may have the opportunity to expand in the not-too-distant future. The defense department is "extremely pleased" with the program, Fleming said, and may give MilTech full and permanent funding.

"It's a pilot program at this point, but the Department of Defense really likes the results they've gotten from the program," Swearingen said. "They are working to get us directly into the Department of Defense budget, beginning in 2008."

If that happens, MilTech may be able to expand beyond the Northwest. Currently, there is no similar program anywhere else in the country.

"Any expansion would be dependent on the funding received from the Department of Defense," Swearingen said. "The point is we are already working throughout the Northwest, and we're working as hard as we can in Montana because we want to take care of our home turf first.

"But we're trying to really both give as much value to the Department of Defense as we can, as well as help companies in Montana and the region that have technology that is relevant to the Department of Defense."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com