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old meets new

In her opening remarks for the Council on Competitiveness Forum, President and CEO, Deborah Wince-Smith said the opinion of manufacturing by many Americans is that it is “dirty, dumb, dangerous and disappearing.”

Not only is that perception outdated, most policymakers agree that advanced manufacturing is a critical driver of the American economy.

“Deborah has summed up one of the biggest challenges in bringing manufacturing back as a centerpiece of economic growth,” said Kelly Carnes, president and CEO of TechVision21.  “Not only do we need to correct the misperceptions, we also need to cultivate a workforce that meets the needs of American manufacturers.  STEM education prepares the next generation workforce for manufacturing jobs in today’s leading industries.”

Clearly, Congress has gotten the message.  This past spring, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson sponsored H.R.1421, the Advancing Innovative Manufacturing Act of 2013.

This legislation would require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to carry out a program, Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech), to develop and support industry-led consortia to identify, prioritize, and address precompetitive technology needs.  Because the tools in our cutting edge technology-intensive industries are so expensive, often companies cannot develop and test the product improvements that will improve their yield. AMTech would organize the supply chain, lead roadmapping initiatives to define technology milestones, and identify what shared infrastructure is necessary to assist companies to meet those milestones.

“When more products are made in America, there will be greater opportunity for our people to Make It In America,” said Rep. Johnson.

“The Make It In America plan focuses on creating the best conditions for American businesses to manufacture their products, innovate, and create jobs right here in the U.S.  President Obama has already signed ten Make It In America bills into law, many of which passed Congress with bipartisan support. “

Earlier this summer, the Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling outlined the case for a manufacturing renaissance in the United States.

“Since early 2010, U.S. manufacturing has added over half a million manufacturing jobs and surveys show that more than half of all manufacturers are or are actively considering re-shoring production to the United States.  Continued productivity gains, rising costs abroad, shortening supply chains, and the domestic advantages of low-cost and plentiful energy are making the U.S. increasingly competitive for production.

But there is no end to the global competition for these jobs. Maintaining our competitiveness in manufacturing will depend on partnerships across the private and public sectors and smart policies that build atop our strengths in manufacturing.”

TechVision21 agrees.  We applaud the Administration’s efforts and urge greater Congressional support for measures such as those contained in H.R. 1421.