TMA Chairman Testifies in Washington D.C.

TMA Chairman Zach Mottl Terry Testifies Before U.S. House Science & Technology Committee

(Park Ridge)-Tooling & Manufacturing Association of Illinois (TMA) President Zach Mottl yesterday testified in support of H.R. 2447, the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act sponsored by Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL-3). "I'd like to thank Rep. Lipinski for inviting me to Washington D.C. to speak on a subject that is near and dear to me heart," stated Mr. Mottl. "Manufacturing is the key to economic prosperity in the United States and this bill goes a long way toward developing the comprehensive manufacturing strategy we need."

"I appreciate hearing from Zach about the difficulties small manufacturing businesses are facing in America. I have visited his factory a number of times and have always been impressed with the work they are doing," said Rep. Lipinski, the subcommittee's ranking member. "Businesses such as Atlas Tool & Die are the backbone of our economy. This bill is about setting aside politics and getting into place the policies that help American manufacturing, which is vital for middle-class job creation and our national security."

For every manufacturing job created in America, an additional five spin-off jobs are created. Despite the economic advantages of supporting American manufacturing, the number of manufacturing jobs has been shrinking, from 20 million in 1979 to fewer than 12 million today. The American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act would bring the public and private sectors together to develop a national manufacturing strategy and a set of recommendations to revitalize this important sector of the economy.

"As a business owner, I know planning is critical. That is the basic core of any good business model. Unfortunately, when an organization doesn't operate with a plan, what occurs is a plan to fail," Mottl told the subcommittee. "Right now the United States is operating with a plan to fail in the world economy when it comes to manufacturing. This is unacceptable for a global superpower. This bill will help develop a plan for success."

Previous versions of Rep. Lipinski's bill have overwhelmingly passed the House with strong bipartisan support. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) is the current bill's lead Republican cosponsor.

About TMA: 8 small manufacturing companies who thought they could better themselves by associating with one another founded TMA in 1925. Through the years, members established programs and services that would help their businesses grow and prosper, train their employees, and provide medical and retirement benefits. As a result of these efforts, TMA has grown into a 1,000 member not-for-profit organization representing almost 30,000 employees of precision manufacturing and supplier companies throughout Illinois.