On February 5, 2016, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) will conclude its 2016 State of Manufacturing Tour at Marlin Steel Wire Products in Baltimore, MD.
This is a big event, and a prestigious honor for Marlin Steel to be selected for the final stop on the tour that anchors the whole event for the year.
What is the State of Manufacturing Tour?
The National State of Manufacturing Tour is an event that is organized by the NAM to highlight the importance of manufacturing to the American economy, and to discuss the state of the manufacturing industry in an open forum.
2016’s tour began in Manchester, NH, and continued through Tampa, FL, Charleston, SC, Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, and Dallas, TX. Baltimore is the final stop of the tour before it comes to a close.
Companies such as Boeing, Harper College, and Lockheed Martin have all hosted events at different stops on the tour.
At each stop of the tour, Jay Timmons, the President and CEO of the NAM discusses modern manufacturing and the importance of manufacturing to Americans. He also visits with local manufacturers, employees, students, and community leaders before and/or after each event to spark discussions about manufacturing.
For the Baltimore stop of the tour, Timmons plans on addressing the rise of manufacturing in Baltimore and how that has helped the local economy. Additionally, Timmons will be joined by Eric Spiegel, the President and CEO of Siemens USA and Drew Greenblatt, Marlin’s own CEO for this final presentation.
How is Manufacturing Important to the American Economy?
Manufacturing industries make up a sizeable chunk of the U.S.’s GDP. In fact, manufacturing contributes roughly $2.7 trillion to the U.S. economy and helps support or create roughly 18.5 million jobs directly or indirectly. For Maryland, the rise of manufacturing has created over 102,000 jobs.
With trillions of dollars in economic output and millions of jobs relying on American manufacturing, it’s easy to see that manufacturing is important to America’s economy.
Why Manufacturing is Important to Americans
As important as it is to the economy, manufacturing is more than just numbers for GDP and employment statistics, it’s a national resource in times of need. In WWII, American manufacturers switched from their regular production of goods to support the war effort, keeping American troops supplied with everything from tanks, planes and other vehicles to basic medical equipment and trench-digging supplies.
High-skilled manufacturing jobs help to build the American middle class by providing high-paying jobs for workers with skills and a strong work ethic. These jobs pay a living wage, not a minimum one, and help ensure that workers can grow and support a family. The American dream is, quite literally, built on manufacturing.
By growing the middle class, manufacturing helps improve the quality of life for all Americans.
The National State of Manufacturing Tour helps to bring this fact home to people all across the country, and for this reason alone, Marlin Steel is proud to be a part of this event.
When and Where is the Tour?
If you’re curious about the tour, the Baltimore event will be held at noon on Friday, February 5, 2016 at the Marlin Steel Wire Products factory on 2640 Merchant Drive Baltimore, MD 21230.
The event is open to members of the press, who can RSVP Mallory Micetich at mmicetich@nam.org for more information.
Everyone here at Marlin Steel looks forward to sharing an earnest, open discussion about manufacturing with everyone here in Baltimore, and this tour is a great reason to do just that.