South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions

What South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions does

South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions (SDMTS) is a private, non-profit Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center that provides Lean and continuous improvement consulting, training, and workforce development services to small and medium-sized manufacturers in South Dakota. The organization operates under four core service pillars—Reduce Costs, Grow Revenue, Develop Your Workforce, and Optimize Automation—delivered through a broad portfolio of specialized modules including Lean Transformation, Six Sigma, Value Stream Mapping, ISO certification support (ISO 9001, ISO 13485, AS9100), TPM, 5S, cellular/flow manufacturing, SMED-based setup reduction, cybersecurity/CMMC training, and peer group programs (C-Level Peer Council, HR Executive Roundtable, CFO Peer Group, Supply Chain Peer Group). Its only proprietary digital asset is the Supply Chain Mapping Tool, a cloud-based platform plotting 2,671 South Dakota manufacturers with NAICS-level filtering, BatchGeo visualization, and D&B Hoovers data integration, accessible via Google account authentication.

SDMTS is hosted by Lake Area Technical College (LATC) under a $3,561,000 NIST cooperative agreement awarded in 2022, with oversight transitioning to LATC on January 1, 2023. The organization is funded through a combination of federal NIST appropriations, state matching, and program income from fee-for-service consulting engagements, with a complimentary business assessment offered as the entry point. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct business advisory from a team of five named advisors and a Center Director, structured training workshops (e.g., $39 per person for cybersecurity), monthly peer groups, and a self-serve online supply chain mapping tool. Customers are predominantly small manufacturers (52% with under 10 employees, majority under 100), and named engagements include Muth Electric, Masaba, Trail-Eze, Electronic Systems Inc., and Applied Engineering—mid-market manufacturers in electrical contracting, bulk material handling, trailer manufacturing, electronics, and automation integration. The geographic scope is exclusively South Dakota; services outside the state are channeled to other MEP centers in the national network.

The business model is a hybrid non-profit structure: subsidized by federal and state appropriations to keep services affordable for small manufacturers, augmented by fee-for-service revenue. Headcount is small (1–10 employees) and the organization has no venture backing, no equity ownership, and no subsidiaries. SDMTS is part of the MEP National Network administered by NIST, with advisory board representation from South Dakota manufacturers, technical colleges (Lake Area Tech, Southeast Tech, South Dakota School of Mines, Western Dakota Tech), and the Governor's Office of Economic Development.

Name

South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions

Legal name

South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions

Website

https://sdmanufacturing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions is a non-profit MEP center that provides Lean consulting, workforce development, and automation advisory services to small and medium-sized manufacturers across South Dakota, funded by NIST and state support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fee-for-Service Consulting: SDMTS is a fee-for-service organization that charges manufacturers for consulting, training, and advisory services. Pricing varies by service type.
2. NIST MEP Cooperative Agreement Funding: SDMTS receives partial funding through a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) MEP program. This federal support is matched by state funding and program income, allowing services to remain accessible to small and medium manufacturers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

SDMTS provides fee-for-service Lean consulting, training, and continuous improvement advisory services to small and medium-sized manufacturers in South Dakota. Core offerings span four pillars—Reduce Costs (Lean transformation, Six Sigma, ISO certification), Grow Revenue (value stream mapping, strategic planning), Develop Your Workforce (peer groups, Lean Certification, executive coaching), and Optimize Automation (collaborative robotics, machine vision testing). It also operates an online Supply Chain Mapping Tool that plots 2,671 South Dakota manufacturers.

Product overview

South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions (SDMTS) is a Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center that offers a comprehensive portfolio of consulting and training services for small and medium-sized manufacturers. The company provides four core service pillars—Reduce Costs, Grow Revenue, Develop Your Workforce, and Optimize Automation—along with numerous specialized service modules including Lean Certification Course, Six Sigma, Value Stream Mapping, ISO Certification Services, Cybersecurity, Project Management Services, and the Supply Chain Mapping Tool. The offerings operate as an integrated suite where clients can access complementary services such as Lean Transformation, Problem Solving Training, Business Assessment, Executive Coaching, and peer group programs (C-Level Peer Council, HR Executive Roundtable). The company also offers specialized workforce development through Working Genius assessments, Lean Leadership for Supervisors, and Training Within Industry. This is a services-based consulting organization, not a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reduce Costs
• Grow Revenue
• Develop Your Workforce
• Optimize Automation
• Lean Certification Course
• Six Sigma
• C-Level Peer Council
• Problem Solving Training
• ISO Certification Services
• Cybersecurity
• Supply Chain Mapping Tool
• What's So Cool About Manufacturing
• Business Assessment
• Executive Coaching
• HR Executive Roundtable
• Total Productive Maintenance
• Value Stream Mapping

Quantifiable outcome

• Muth Electric: Lead-time reduced to 1-2 working days for 50+ standard assemblies, 25-40% productivity improvement, nearly $200,000 cost savings
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coyote Business Consulting (CBC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Multi-semester collaboration with University of South Dakota's Beacom School of Business student consulting group. CBC students evaluated, improved, and transformed SDMTS's Supply Chain Mapping Tool from an Excel-based database to a fully online cloud-based platform. The partnership provided students real-world experience while delivering meaningful tool improvements.
• Lake Area Technical College (LATC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022LATC is the host organization for SDMTS, operating as South Dakota's MEP Center. The partnership leverages LATC's technical education expertise in robotics, precision machining, welding, and manufacturing. LATC received the $3,561,000 NIST cooperative agreement to operate SDMTS, with oversight assumed January 1, 2023.
• South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGOED collaborates with SDMTS on Business Retention & Expansion visits and manufacturing workforce initiatives. GOED provides representation on SDMTS Advisory Board and coordinates Manufacturing Week activities.
• South Dakota Department of Labor and RegulationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on workforce development initiatives and supports the Google AI Essentials Specialization program through the Grow with Google program.
• MEP National NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDMTS is the official MEP center for South Dakota, part of a national network administered by NIST spanning all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Centers support each other on client work and share knowledge across the network.
• Southeast TechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Dakota State University - Tech campus providing representation on SDMTS Advisory Board and partnership for Sioux Falls office location.
• South Dakota Small Business Development Center (SBDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnofficial resource partner providing warm introductions for manufacturers needing services outside SDMTS scope.
• Small Business Administration (SBA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnofficial resource partner in the South Dakota business support ecosystem.
• South Dakota School of Mines & TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides representation on SDMTS Advisory Board.
• Western Dakota TechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical college partner with representation on SDMTS Advisory Board.
• Enterprise (Rent-A-Tent)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent services partner appearing on resource partners list.
• Trade Ally NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade services partner network listed in resources.
• RTEC (Rural Tech Education Consortium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology education consortium partner in resources.
• NorthWestern EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy partner collaborating on Business Retention & Expansion visits in Mitchell, SD.
• Central Electric Cooperative, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElectric cooperative partner in Business Retention & Expansion visit collaboration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Impact Washington: Impact Washington is Washington's MEP center, providing Lean/process improvement consulting, workforce training, and growth services to small and mid-sized manufacturers. Closely analogous in scope and customer profile to SDMTS.
• Kaizen Institute: Kaizen Institute is a global management consultancy specializing in Lean, Kaizen, and continuous improvement methodologies for manufacturers. Competes directly with SDMTS on Lean training and transformation engagements, though at a much larger scale and international footprint.
• TBM Consulting Group: TBM is a private Lean/operational excellence consultancy serving global manufacturers with continuous improvement, supply chain, and digital transformation services. Competes with SDMTS in the Lean transformation space, particularly for mid-market manufacturers.
• WMEP (Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership): WMEP is Wisconsin's NIST MEP center, offering Lean manufacturing, quality systems, and growth strategy consulting to state manufacturers. Operates the same MEP program structure as SDMTS with a comparable mix of training and project work.
• California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC): CMTC is the designated NIST MEP center for California, providing consulting, Lean training, and growth services to small and mid-sized manufacturers. Operates the same federally-blessed model as SDMTS in a different state, making it the most direct structural peer.
• MAGNET (Ohio MEP): MAGNET serves as Ohio's MEP center, delivering Lean/operational excellence consulting, technology adoption, and workforce development to manufacturers. Highly comparable business model and service portfolio to SDMTS.
• FuzeHub (New York MEP): FuzeHub operates as New York's statewide MEP center, offering manufacturing consulting, innovation services, and industry connections to NY manufacturers. Comparable in mission, funding model, and service mix to SDMTS.

Others

• Lake Area Technical College: LATC is the host organization for SDMTS and recipient of the NIST cooperative agreement. Not a peer in the commercial sense, but the structural parent whose technical education programs provide SDMTS's talent pipeline and facility footprint.
• NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP): NIST MEP is the federal parent program under which SDMTS operates. Not a commercial peer but the governing body that defines SDMTS's mission, funding structure, and service scope — and a key programmatic relationship for any analysis of the company.
• South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED): GOED is a core ecosystem partner that collaborates with SDMTS on Business Retention & Expansion visits and manufacturing workforce initiatives. Adjacent rather than competitive, but materially shapes SDMTS's go-to-market and grant positioning in South Dakota.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SoDakMTS
• Facebookfacebook.com/sdmanufacturing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdmanufacturing
• Instagraminstagram.com/sdmanufacturing

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions