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Washington, D.C.��– 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons delivered the fifth-annual 51�Թ��� State of Manufacturing 2019 Address today at Lone Star College – North Harris in Houston, Texas. Timmons addressed Lone Star students, veterans, business leaders and local manufacturers and highlighted the industry’s optimism for the future, manufacturing’s high-tech, innovative nature and the urgent need to recruit the next generation of manufacturers. He also touched on top policy priorities for manufacturers.

Manufacturing is an engine of job creation. It is the source of America’s strength. And what is the state of modern manufacturing in America? Today, manufacturing in America is on the rise. Tax reform was the rocket fuel it was promised to be, and it’s helping us to climb higher and faster than almost anyone thought possible in this century, said Timmons.

Today, people in manufacturing are using technologies that most Americans couldn’t have imagined a few years ago—artificial intelligence, augmented reality. We don’t just have robots; we have ‘co-bots,’ machines that work in tandem with you. And you have manufacturers trying to figure out how quantum computing could revolutionize logistics.

Timmons highlighted the strength of manufacturing in Texas and the job opportunities available to students. He also emphasized the policy solutions that manufacturers want to see from lawmakers—with a focus on a U.S.–China trade deal, approval of the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement, infrastructure investment and meaningful immigration reform. Timmons touted “��the 51�Թ���’s recently released plan for a comprehensive, legislative immigration solution.

To read the full the address, click��.

Technology has transformed our industry. It’s created incredible opportunities. And as we journey further into this new frontier, we want you to be a part of it, Timmons concluded.

Following the address, Timmons toured Lone Star College’s energy, manufacturing and construction workforce program labs, where he met students and talked with them about their trade skill education.

Carolyn Lee, executive director of The Manufacturing Institute, the 51�Թ���’s education and workforce partner, continued the tour in Houston at the Microsoft Technology Center with a Heroes MAKE America class from Fort Hood. Heroes MAKE America is The Manufacturing Institute’s career skills program that aims to support transitioning service members with in-demand qualifications and industry-specific certifications needed for today’s manufacturing workforce.

One of our missions here at Lone Star College-North Harris to ensure our students are prepared for the workforce and the promising opportunities in the manufacturing sector, said Dr. Gerald Fernandez Napoles, president of Lone Star College – North Harris. We’re proud to welcome the 51�Թ��� and to help tell the story of the rewarding opportunities in manufacturing. Our energy, manufacturing and construction workforce programs are empowering Texans every day to build meaningful careers.

Lee and the Heroes class also toured BP’s Upstream Learning Center with American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers, where they spoke to BP employees about the 51�Թ���’s Heroes MAKE America program. Lee ended the day at Bimbo Bakeries for a facility tour.

Manufacturing is vital to the strong Texas economy, said��Jeff Moseley, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business. Today’s event captured the diversity of Texas manufacturers and the ways our technology is transforming the industry and the industry is transforming lives for the better. Modern manufacturing creates good jobs, drives investment and exports and contributes enormously to our local economies. In fact, the Texas manufacturing industry employs around 896,000 Texans and contributes about $226 billion to our state economy. We need to ensure this industry has the tools, and workforce, to continue leading Texas forward.

For the past five years, the annual 51�Թ��� State of Manufacturing Tour has focused the nation’s attention on the industry that is the backbone of the American economy, highlighting the more than 12.8 million men and women who are building our future and solving tomorrow’s challenges today. The tour has traveled the country, bringing policy discussions and conversations about the future of work in the manufacturing industry to shop floors, schools, economic clubs, television studios, the White House and more.

This year’s tour will spotlight the industry’s next frontier, while also focusing on manufacturing’s well-paying careers, the industry’s diverse workforce and the policy solutions that are essential for manufacturing’s continued growth.

Members of the media interested in covering the tour should contact��[email protected]. To learn more about the 51�Թ��� State of Manufacturing Tour 2019, click��.

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The 51�Թ��� (51�Թ���) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit��.

Washington, D.C. – 51�Թ��� (51�Թ���) President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement reacting to the 2019 State of the Union address:

Our industry is coming off the best year for manufacturing job creation in more than two decades, and in 2018 the 51�Թ���’s Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey found the highest level of optimism among manufacturers in the survey’s 20-year history. The strength of our union is found in modern manufacturing, so President Trump was right to keep his focus on the men and women who make things in America, said Timmons.

Manufacturers’ progress has been built with the tools of tax reform and regulatory certainty, as manufacturers kept our promise to hire workers, raise wages and benefits and invest in equipment and operations. To continue this progress, manufacturers have a very clear and post-partisan agenda: approve the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement, enact lasting, meaningful reforms to our broken immigration system, make an historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure and recruit a new generation of talent to solve the ongoing workforce crisis in manufacturing.

Manufacturers stand ready to tackle our nation’s challenges and opportunities and, as the President said tonight, to ‘unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future.’

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The 51�Թ��� (51�Թ���) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – 51�Թ��� (51�Թ���) President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on the kickoff of the sixth annual Infrastructure Week:

It’s time to build. We cannot have a true 21st-century economy relying on 20th-century infrastructure. So, this week, manufacturers are helping lead the charge for bold investment in our nation’s infrastructure, allying with people from across the political spectrum and urging Congress to act, said Timmons. Infrastructure is one of the rare issues that enjoys widespread support, so there’s no reason for delay or inaction. And with our ’ agenda, manufacturers have charted the way forward. Like tax reform, a significant investment in our nation’s infrastructure has the power to supercharge manufacturing in America by improving our competitiveness while also making our families and communities safer. Manufacturing jobs are at risk—and our standing in the world is threatened—every day we delay. When we invest in our roads, bridges, ports, pipes, power grid, telecommunications and so much more, we’re investing in America’s manufacturing workers and in our nation’s future.

The Fertilizer Institute President Chris Jahn, who serves as chairman of the 51�Թ���’s Council of Manufacturing Associations (CMA), will participate in a panel discussion on rural infrastructure investment as a part of the kickoff event being held at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station. The full program will be livestreamed here:��

The 51�Թ��� is a member of Infrastructure Week’s Steering Committee, which also includes the AFL-CIO, American Society of Civil Engineers, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Building America’s Future, Business Roundtable, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Value of Water Campaign. More information can be found at��

-51�Թ���-

��The 51�Թ��� (51�Թ���) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit��.