EVANS DELIVERS BUSH ADMINISTRATION MANUFACTURING REPORT TO CLEVELAND
MANUFACTURING WORKERS
CLEVELAND, OHIO - U.S. Commerce Secretary Donald
L. Evans today delivered the Bush administration’s manufacturing
report at a business roundtable at Lincoln Electric with Cleveland
area manufacturers where he outlined recommendations to address
the challenges faced by the industry. Ohio Governor Bob Taft accompanied
Evans at the formal announcement as well as Lincoln Electric COO,
John Stropki; Ariel Corporation President/CEO, Karen Wright; and
Fredon Corporation President, Roger Sustar.
“President
Bush is dedicated to growing the Ohio manufacturing industry and
creating new jobs. This is our strategy to remove the barriers that
are holding back American manufacturers and costing jobs,”
said Evans. “This report is a single step in an ongoing process:
Ensuring that American companies are competitive in every part of
the world.”
During
the roundtable Evans announced that Grant Aldonas, Under Secretary
for the International Trade Administration, would serve in an interim
capacity as point person for manufacturers until Congress passes
the legislation to create and fund the position of Assistant Secretary
of Manufacturing and Services.
Lincoln
Electric COO, John Stropki applauded the report’s recommendations
and said that they will help him make informed decisions that will
help his company create jobs and maintain a competitive edge internationally.
“President
Bush’s concern, for the men and women who work in manufacturing,
is the driving force behind this report,” said Stropki. “Manufacturers
across America now have a blueprint for growth that will help them
expand their business, create new jobs and help both the local and
national economy.”
Founded
in 1895, Lincoln Electric is the global leader for the production
of arc welding machines. Lincoln is also the market leader for product
innovation.
“The
Bush Administration today has broken new ground acknowledging that
manufacturing is vital to the nation’s economy, recognizing
the unprecedented challenges to our global leadership; and recommending
reforms to strengthen our manufacturing competitiveness,”
said Jerry Jasinowski, president of the National Association of
Manufacturers.
The
report includes recommendations that will:
·
Establish the President’s Manufacturing Council that will
to bring to bear the resources of the Federal government to implement
the recommendations in the manufacturing report. Evans will chair
the Council and Aldonas will be the executive director.
·
Create the Office of Industry Analysis to gather the right data
to help government understand the impact of government decisions
on the manufacturing sector’s ability to compete.
·
Call on the Treasury Department to lead a tax simplification study
– addressing depreciation and the corporate alternative minimum
tax - focused on lowering compliance costs for manufacturers.
·
Improve coordination of over $15 billion in economic development
programs to help address the economic challenges facing distressed
communities that are manufacturing-dependent communities. Coordination
of these funds will help workers and families weather tough times
during a down turn in manufacturing.
·
Ask the Office of Management and Budget to lead a comprehensive
regulatory review (assisted by the Office of Industry Analysis)
to inventory existing regulations, evaluate proposed reforms and
then implement those reforms on a priority basis.
The
recommendations are part of a comprehensive report, Manufacturing
in America that includes input from over 20 manufacturing public
roundtables held last year by the Commerce Department to identify
the challenges facing the American manufacturing sector. The roundtables
included small, medium, and large companies from a broad range of
industries, including auto parts, aerospace, biotechnology, and
semiconductors. One of these roundtables was held in Columbus, Ohio
in July 2003.
“This
is the first time in modern history that an administration has made
manufacturing in America a top national priority,” Jasinowski
said. “President Bush and Secretary Evans have backed up their
commitment with specific policy recommendations and organizational
changes. I commend Secretary Evans for his initiative in pushing
this forward, and President Bush for his expanded commitment to
the health of our nation’s manufacturing.”
The
report provides an overview of the domestic and international economic
environment facing American manufacturing, highlights the views
of manufacturers regarding the challenges they face, and puts forward
policy recommendations to help ensure that government is doing all
it can to create the conditions that will allow U.S. manufacturers
to maximize their competitiveness and spur economic growth.
The recommendations represent an important step toward crafting
the comprehensive strategy Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans called
for in March 2003.
Visit www.manufacturing.gov
for the full report and four-page summary.
Manufacturing
in America - Full Report
(2MB PDF file)
Report
Summary
Webcast of
the event (Real Player version)