Sen. Gary Peters

Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) president Dennis Slater issued the following statement supporting introduction of legislation to strengthen manufacturing by U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan:

"The Association of Equipment Manufacturers commends the introduction of the National Institute of Manufacturing Act to strengthen the manufacturing sector and ensure the future competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing in the global economy," said Dennis Slater, president of AEM.

"Equipment manufacturers represent 12 percent of the entire U.S. manufacturing sector and supports 2.8 million family-sustaining jobs across the country. We need a comprehensive, coordinated and competent national effort in support of the manufacturing sector and its workforce.

"This legislation will reduce redundancies and improve efficiencies across existing federal manufacturing programs and ensure that the federal government is better positioned to respond to rapid changes in the global manufacturing landscape.

"Senator Gary Peters knows firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing equipment manufacturers, and he has been a steadfast advocate for the industry in the United State Senate. We applaud the Senator for his vision and leadership to ensure the federal government is better positioned to support the industry and urge all Democrat and Republican Senators to support this important legislation."

"With a long and rich history of manufacturing hundreds of world class products in Winn, Michigan, we know first-hand the critical role that manufacturing plays as the engine that drives the economy by creating jobs, opportunity, and prosperity for Americans," said John Foote, senior vice president at Morbark.

"This has been especially true in our rural central Michigan area. We also recognize the need for a more far-reaching and strategic approach to ensure that the manufacturing sector and its workforce receives the resources and leadership they need to continue to innovate and manufacture in Michigan and across the United States.

"We would like to thank Senator Gary Peters for his steadfast leadership to strengthen the sector and ensure the future competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing in the global economy. Senator Peters has personally met with us in the past, listened to our needs and responded proactively. We hope that his colleagues in the United States Senate will support his legislation and work in a bipartisan and collaborative fashion to make America the best country in the world to manufacture."

For more information, visit www.aem.org.

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