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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Investing in
Ohio Manufacturing and Innovation
In Ohio, and across the United States, manufacturing is helping to lead
our economic recovery. Manufacturing has a larger multiplier effect
than any other industry. For every $1.00 spent in manufacturing,
another $1.48 is added to the economy. Ohio manufacturers are some of
the most competitive in the world and workers are innovating right on
the shop floor. To make manufacturing's recovery permanent, we must
support American workers, shifting away from an "innovate here, make it
there" mindset. There are skilled manufacturing workers throughout the
country and we should be investing in innovation and production right
here at home.
Last week, I toured Continental Structural Plastics (CSP), a
manufacturing plant for lightweight composite technology in Carey, just
days after the town received a $1.5 million grant from the Economic
Development Administration (EDA) to construct an electric substation.
As a result of this project, the company will be able to expand its
plant and hire 50 workers.
Sen. Brown touring Continental Structural Plastics in Carey, OH.
I also visited Parker Hannifin's tech incubator facility in Macedonia,
where workers have developed an exoskeleton that helps people with
mobility impairments to walk on their own. This invention will be
life-changing for people across the country and I am working with
Parker Hannifin to secure federal approval for the technology which
would ramp up its production in northeast Ohio. The work I saw being
done at CSP and Parker Hannifin is exactly the kind of cutting-edge
technology being developed across Ohio. The EDA is an essential
resource – its contribution to CSP's infrastructure will be invaluable
– but we must also enact policies that support collaboration between
businesses and leverage their resources to spur innovation.
Sen. Brown touring Continental Structural Plastics in Carey, OH.
My bipartisan legislation – the Revitalize American Manufacturing and
Innovation Act (RAMI) – with Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) does just that.
The bill – which passed the House of Representatives two weeks ago –
would create a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation to
establish a public-private partnership between small businesses,
industry leaders, and research institutions, giving them the tools they
need to compete on a global scale. These regional, industry-led hubs
will leverage local expertise and could create thousands of
high-paying, high-tech manufacturing jobs for next-generation workers.
Youngstown's America Makes program, housed inside the Youngstown
Business Incubator, uses this model and, as Youngstown becomes a world
leader in 3-D printing manufacturing technology, it's already proving
successful. Youngstown's Incubator was recently named number one in the
world for university-associated business incubators by UBI Index and
was awarded $3 million by the EDA to build upon its success.
We are pushing to pass my manufacturing bill through the Senate and get
it to the President's desk by the end of the year. We cannot be timid
in making the decisions that will drive decades of manufacturing policy
– and economic recovery – in in our country. With this investment in
our workers and businesses, the United States will once again lead the
world in manufacturing and innovation.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
U.S. Senator
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