NAM: Manufacturing strategy needed
Responding to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) reiterated its call for a U.S. manufacturing strategy.
"Manufacturers understand all too well the realities of an increasingly competitive global marketplace, and we are pleased to see President Obama begin the discussion on how to address this critical issue," said NAM president and CEO Jay Timmons. "The President's comments on increasing our exports, opening new markets and passing pending free trade agreements are all important elements to achieving job creation, economic growth and competitiveness.
He added that to unleash the power of innovation, "we cannot continue to place costly, unnecessary burdens on businesses and put them on an uneven playing field with our global competitors. This stifles job creation and economic growth. We also cannot pick winners and losers and pit industry sectors against each other in order to achieve our goals. To enhance our competitiveness, businesses cannot continue to be faced with higher energy costs, higher taxes and government overregulation."
Despite the fact that manufacturing continues to drive the nation's economic recovery, the industry has been hit hard with the loss of close to 6 million jobs over the last 10 years and an unemployment rate that remains well over 9 percent.
Timmons added that NAM has developed a Manufacturing Strategy for Jobs and a Competitive America.
"This comprehensive strategy will make us the best country to headquarter a business, the best country to do the bulk of our research and development, and a great place to manufacture and serve as an export platform to the world. We believe this is the right path forward, and we will continue to encourage the Administration and Congress to enact the proposals outlined in this strategy. The United States remains the largest manufacturing economy, but there is much at stake. Manufacturers look forward to playing a vital role in this discussion," he said.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The May/June issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about GHX Industrial. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam and Frank Hurtte, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
