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Across the country, the men and women who make things in America are working tirelessly to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. At ID4A Technologies, a global manufacturing technology and industrial automation company based in San Francisco, California, that effort takes many forms as its leadership leverages funds, high-tech infrastructure, advanced manufacturing capabilities and global networks to support frontline workers and vulnerable communities.

ID4A is approaching the challenge in two ways. First, it is supporting the manufacturing and distribution of critical medical devices and health care products. The organization has already donated $5 million from its profits and raised a total of $30 million from shareholders and its leaders are collaborating with partners in 25 countries to rapidly increase the production and distribution of essential products and devices that support frontline workers. Second, the company is supporting hard-hit individuals in their own community by donating $1 million to 10 schools for underserved students in the San Francisco Bay Area, which will help provide critical services for more than 3,000 low-income children and their families.

“Industry leaders have an opportunity to step up and contribute in impactful ways, whether it is by donating supplies, providing funds to relief efforts, supporting their employees or helping their communities get through the COVID-19 crisis,” said ID4A Technologies CEO and Founder Rania Hoteit. “Now is the time to demonstrate a heroic leadership and a bold mindset to not only persevere but innovate, drive and thrive.”

This year, , the 51�Թ���’ workforce and education partner, named Hoteit a honoree. This distinction recognizes women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Production careers who exemplify leadership excellence within their companies.

In addition to working directly on COVID-19 response, ID4A Technologies is assisting other manufacturers with new work configurations. For example, it’s helping other manufacturers reconfigure processes to support social distancing, secure networks and control systems, implement safety measures to protect field workers, support shifts toward remote work and alter product lines to increase the production of medical devices, ventilators and protective gear.

“Although COVID-19 is impacting every business in one way or another, there are unique pressures that the manufacturing industry is facing,” said Hoteit. “If health care workers are the front line heroes fighting against this global pandemic, manufacturing workers are the hidden heroes meeting the large-scale production demand from consumers and ensuring the world has all the supplies and the products it needs to survive, operate, connect and stay safe.”

“Across the country, the men and women who make things in America are delivering for their communities and their country,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons. “I could not be prouder of their incredible work, or more grateful for their commitment to the cause.”

Rex Heat Treat, a commercial heat treatment company serving industries from aerospace and transportation to construction and defense, is tapping its tax reform benefits to support its workers, strengthen its business and invest in its future. A family-owned company since 1938 with facilities in Lansdale and Bedford, Pennsylvania, and Anniston, Alabama, Rex Heat Treat has been able to keep employees on board and purchase critical new equipment, even in challenging times.

“Without the benefit of tax reform, we might not be sitting in as good of a situation as we are,” said Rex Heat Treat General Manager Johnathan Rex. “We’d be a lot leaner in our bank account, possibly needing to draw on a line of credit to make payroll otherwise. As we weather the effects of COVID-19, these benefits will help us. Our business has more time to maintain our critical infrastructure workforce should this current situation continue on.”

In particular, the manufacturer has been able to use “full expensing,” which allows businesses to take a tax deduction for the cost of new equipment in the year it is bought, rather than taking smaller tax deductions over several years. This reduces the cost of buying capital equipment and accelerates depreciation deductions for manufacturers and business owners, which decreases the company’s tax bill in the year of purchase and frees up cash for that purchase. For a capital-intensive industry like manufacturing, where the latest technology is key to production, this kind of support can be vital, especially among smaller manufacturers with tighter margins.

“Full expensing allows us not just to accelerate the last investment we made but to accelerate the next one—because it’s cash in hand,” said Rex. “We want to do this as quickly as possible, but you can also run your business into the ground if you invest too quickly. Allowing a company to aggressively invest in itself and maintain some cash is a big help.”

As manufacturers around the globe deal with the challenges posed by COVID-19, tax reform has helped give small businesses the resources to protect their employees and their customers.

“Tax policies that allow manufacturers to keep and invest more of their earnings are critically important in uncertain times,” said 51�Թ��� Vice President of Tax and Domestic Economic Policy Chris Netram. “As we respond to today’s challenges and prepare for the future, building upon pro-growth policies like these can help support workers, businesses and communities nationwide.”

Overwhelmed medical facilities are expanding and placing urgent orders for HVAC systems, putting AAON, Inc., a commercial heating and cooling equipment manufacturer based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.

On March 29, AAON President and Director Gary Fields received a phone call from one of their sales partners in New York City regarding the need for a new temporary hospital.

“The city was a hotspot for coronavirus. Its permanent care facilities were overwhelmed,” said Fields. “City officials wanted to know what AAON could do to get a temporary space up by April 18. A total of three weeks.”

The temporary medical facility would need heating and cooling units with HEPA filtration systems, which are required in most medical facilities to ensure that recirculated air is clean. That meant standard “off-the-shelf” products wouldn’t work. AAON’s existing inventory also would not fit the bill. The facility needed something big enough to serve large spaces with only a few connections and small enough so the units could be unloaded and positioned using a traditional crane. So AAON sprang into action to design and manufacture the right products.

By the following evening, the project had begun to take shape. The temporary medical facility would involve a total of five tents, requiring 2,200 tons of air conditioning equipment with HEPA capabilities. On March 31 at 5:30 p.m., AAON received the official order. By the next morning at 6:00 a.m., the first of 44 identical 50-ton units began moving down the production line.

AAON team members worked around the clock to complete the order. Three days later, they completed the 44th and final unit, and by April 6, the units had all been delivered—well ahead of schedule.

In addition, AAON has been simultaneously producing other COVID-19 emergency supplies. The State University of New York College at Old Westbury requested 36 similar HVAC units to serve as an additional temporary medical site, and the manufacturer is currently filling orders for facilities in Cranston, Rhode Island, and Denver, Colorado, as well. AAON also recently sent five prototype UV light cabinets to a Springfield, Missouri, hospital, which plans to use them to disinfect masks and other materials.

“AAON was pleased to participate in the effort for this urgent shipment,” said Stephanie Cameron, Community Relations Administrator at AAON, who is also a member of the ’s Board of Advisors and a 2015  Honoree. “As an essential manufacturer of HVAC systems, we are doing all we can for our customers that have AAON equipment on critical infrastructure, and those customers that need new equipment or parts for critical infrastructure.”

Manufacturers around the country are stepping up to help their communities during this pandemic.

“In tough times, the men and women who make things in America can always be counted on to lead the fight,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Today, manufacturers are delivering on that promise and working to keep America healthy and strong.”

Ketchie, Inc., a woman-owned, North Carolina-based manufacturer with 26 employees, has been supplying a mounted ball bearing product line to distributors since 1975. Now it is a critical part of the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of Ketchie’s bearing products go through a network of industrial distributors that supply hospitals across the United States. One customer in California creates cooling towers, most of which serve medical and health care facilities. Another manufacturer’s housed rubber bearing units supplied by Ketchie will be going into blower units circulating fresh air into New York City hospitals, where the COVID-19 outbreak has been particularly widespread.

As governors around the country consider whether to shutter workplaces or declare them essential, Ketchie, Inc. President Courtney Silver argues that manufacturers at all levels are doing indispensable work.

“It’s all interconnected,” said Silver. “It takes all the big corporations and all these smaller businesses across the country to make it all work.”

Beyond its own need to keep running in order to supply hospitals and other critical infrastructure such as water and sewage plants and power companies, which all experience more stress during a pandemic, Silver emphasized how various components of the supply chain are vital to her manufacturing operation.

“We rely on foundries for castings, because I have to machine that casting to make that bearing housing, and then I rely on bearing manufacturers to make my inserts, and then I assemble and ship it out,” said Silver. “Even the little grease fitting that I would screw into the top of the bearing housing—I need my fastener distributor open and shipping me grease fittings. They seem like the littlest things, but we all have to support each other and continue to work through this time together.”

Ketchie is already following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including ensuring that all employees are working at least six feet apart and frequently sanitizing high-touch areas. As government officials consider whether facilities like hers should continue to operate, Silver hopes to continue doing her part for the COVID-19 response.

“Every small business is in a cash crunch,” said Silver. “I’m confident we can get through this. We’re trying our best to remain positive and take the time to see what we’re learning so we can come out even stronger.”

“We are facing an extraordinary challenge, and America’s manufacturers are helping to lead the charge,” said Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the 51�Թ���. “Across the country, manufacturing heroes are supporting our infrastructure, strengthening our health care systems and creating the innovations that will save lives. As we have throughout history, in this time of crisis, manufacturers are answering the call.”

Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation, based in West Columbia, S.C., makes a significant portion of the nebulizer medicines used in the treatment of COVID-19 in the United States.

Typically, Nephron produces about 85 million doses of inhalation solution every month. As orders skyrocket for treatments used to combat respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, the manufacturer is working tirelessly to keep up with demand.

“We have all of our production lines going at 100 percent, and we’re rewarding faster changeover times to make sure we get them quickly cleaned, steamed and back in operation for the next batch,” said Nephron Pharmaceuticals CEO and owner Lou Kennedy. “We’ve more than doubled production. I predicted we might reach 110 million batches this month—and as of the end of March, we were at 193 million. We’re operating at max capacity, and orders are still coming in.”

Nephron has been in touch with federal regulators, including the Food and Drug Administration, seeking permission to open six additional product lines. Kennedy hopes to move forward with those additional lines in the near future in order to expand capacity and deliver additional products. So far, Kennedy has been encouraged by the FDA response.

“I can tell you that we have never seen a more responsive FDA,” said Kennedy. “All things are moving at breakneck speed, and I am so appreciative for that.”

In addition to serving patients across the country, Nephron is working to ensure that its employees stay safe and healthy, with temperature checks for every employee at shift changes and a ban on outside visitors at the facility. In addition to producing medication, Nephron is making hand sanitizer for employees’ use and will donate much of the surplus product to community organizations. In order to serve employees who need childcare assistance as schools close and daycare centers cease to operate, Nephron has organized a group of certified K-12 teachers to safely provide childcare from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Even as some workplaces shut down, manufacturers like Nephron continue to produce and innovate at high speed, helping to deliver medical supplies and other essential products at a time of urgent need across the country.

“Every moment we’re involved in something new,” said Kennedy. “It’s just amazing how this country is coming together—and we’re so happy to do anything we can. Any little bit of help, we’re glad to do it.”

“In times of significant need, manufacturers have always stepped forward to answer the call,” said Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the 51�Թ���. “As we face this period of challenge and uncertainty, we are delivering for our customers, for our communities, for our country and for the world.”

Vice President Mike Pence recently joined 3,000 manufacturing leaders on a call hosted by the 51�Թ��� and the 51�Թ���’s Manufacturing Leadership Council regarding the COVID-19 response. He provided an update on the administration’s efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19, detailed the 51�Թ���’s work with the administration to coordinate the industry’s response and thanked manufacturers for the work they have done across the country to provide and produce vital supplies.

“The efforts of so many of you have truly been inspiring, and at times, at great cost,” said Pence. “It is clear to the president, it is clear to his vice president, and clear, I know, to the American people that American business is putting America’s health first.”

Pence specifically mentioned ASO LLC, a consumer medical supplies manufacturer in Sarasota, Florida, that stepped forward to produce 1.2 million medical gloves for health care workers. He also mentioned other ways manufacturers are stepping up, including by donating millions of N95 masks to health care workers in impacted areas.

Pence urged manufacturers to examine their inventories for equipment that could be donated to local hospitals, to communicate the White House’s health and safety guidelines to employees and to continue working with the 51�Թ��� as it helps mobilize the industry to deliver and produce urgently needed supplies. The 51�Թ��� has been in close contact with the White House’s Office of Emergency Supply Production, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services and other key federal agencies.

“So many of you play a critical role in the life of this nation and critical infrastructure industry,” said Vice President Pence. “We want to work with you to find a way to continue to move forward, to continue to produce and continue to operate.”

In addition to the vice president’s remarks, Todd Niemeier of the CDC’s COVID-19 Response-Health Systems and Worker Safety Task Force provided manufacturing-focused guidance, and The Hershey Company’s Vice President of Engineering Will Bonifant and Senior Director of Manufacturing, Global Supply Chain Tim Hinegardner shared steps the manufacturer is taking to protect their employees and the public.

“As manufacturers have throughout our history, we are going to be part of the solution,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons. “We are responding, we are mobilizing and we are leading the country.”

The 51�Թ��� is continuing to provide coronavirus resources for manufacturers, connecting businesses with guidance from appropriate government officials and agencies and providing updates on the state of the manufacturing industry.

For more information, including best practices, CDC resources and more, go to .

At 6:15 p.m. on Friday, Marlin Steel Wire Products, a Baltimore-based wire and sheet metal fabricator, received an urgent order. A client conducting coronavirus testing needed a large set of test-tube racks by Monday morning to continue work. Marlin had never designed test-tube racks before, but the company sprang into action.

It was a race against time. During a week when employees had already worked 40 to 60 hours—and on a day when some had begun at 6:00 a.m.—a group volunteered to work through the weekend. After working until 10:30 p.m. on Friday, they started again at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, working until 10:00 p.m. that evening and resuming early Sunday morning. At 1:40 p.m. on Sunday—just 43 hours from the moment they received the request—the racks were ready to ship.

Still, the work continued. The client asked Marlin to send the racks by plane—but when Marlin’s staff arrived at the airport, their flight was canceled. Undeterred, Marlin loaded the racks into a truck with two drivers to cover the 1,100-mile journey. By Monday morning, they were unloading the racks—fewer than 65 hours after receiving the order.

“This team is extraordinary. They’re manufacturing heroes,” said Drew Greenblatt, Marlin’s president and owner and a member of the 51�Թ��� Executive Committee. “Despite working 40 to 60 hours during the week, they dropped everything, pulled together and used an extra 30 hours to get things done. This is Rosie the Riveter stuff.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, the company is taking extra measures to protect employees; keeping workers at least six feet apart, sanitizing workstations and door handles frequently, and ensuring that employees able to work from home can do so. Greenblatt emphasized manufacturers’ importance to the effort against COVID-19 and the need for factories to stay open.

“That lab cannot determine if COVID-19 is in that test tube unless they have that wire rack, and I can’t manufacture that wire rack if I don’t have my steel suppliers in Illinois or my cardboard box manufacturer in Maryland or my employees in our facility,” said Greenblatt. “We’re doing this so they can accomplish their mission. We need to keep factories open because we’re making the goods that keep our world functioning.”

The 51�Թ���, working with state association partners, has asked governors and municipal leaders nationwide to declare manufacturing facilities “essential” so that businesses like Marlin Steel can continue their lifesaving work.

“Manufacturers in America are mobilizing to help our nation overcome this historic crisis,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons. “America’s creators will respond to this challenge, as we have throughout history. We’re in this together as we fight to keep our country healthy and strong.”

“Small manufacturers can help defeat COVID-19,” said Greenblatt. “Many make products that help labs or hospitals. Let the 51�Թ��� know and let your governor know: your products and team can play a critical role to save lives.”

To protect the health of workers and customers, food manufacturers in the United States are strict about sanitation every day. But the COVID-19 pandemic has made the issue even more critical as our country works to contain this crisis, and food manufacturers in America are demonstrating how effective workplaces can adjust during emergencies.

New Jersey-based Premio Foods is a maker of specialty Italian sausage products with about 1,000 employees. In addition to continuing its regular rigorous sanitation practices, the manufacturer has stepped up its efforts to sanitize operations and maintain hygienic conditions by increasing the use of protective clothing and ensuring maximum face coverage.

“We’ve stepped up expectations about changing out protective clothing and gloves, so that people cycle through them more quickly,” said Premio Foods Senior Vice President of Operations Eric Fidoten, who is also a member of the Board of Governors of the 51�Թ���’ Manufacturing Leadership Council. “We have our employees sanitize their hands, then sanitize the glove itself—and do all this more frequently than usual. We instructed people to cover their entire head except eyes and forehead. Where we don’t mandate safety glasses, we now encourage our associates to use them.”

The company has held meetings to demonstrate proper procedures and conducted “audits” throughout the day to check that employees are thoroughly protected. It has also instituted rotating breaks and lunches to reduce large gatherings at its facilities and is ensuring high-use surfaces in breakrooms and lunch areas are frequently sanitized.

“Manufacturers across the country are committed to the highest standards of safety and sanitation,” said David R. Brousell, Vice President and Executive Director of the 51�Թ���’s Manufacturing Leadership Council. “Businesses like Premio Foods are a great example of the way manufacturers lead during times of need, implementing critical measures to keep workers and communities safe and healthy. As we grapple with this global health challenge, that example is more important than ever.”

In addition to leading by example, Premio Foods has recommended that other businesses and organizations work to step up their responses as well. They can do so by taking steps such as contacting a sanitation consulting company for a tailored sanitation plan, restricting vendors and other visitors from entering the facility and offering a brief how-to on sanitation procedures to any necessary visitors.

Of course, the standard measures are the most important—and achievable by anyone: wash your hands frequently, eliminate physical contact at work and observe social distancing, sanitize frequently-used surfaces and rooms and ensure that anyone who shows signs of illness stays home.

For more information, including best practices, CDC resources and more, go to .

On Wednesday, 51�Թ��� Director of International Business Policy Ryan Ong testified before the Special 301 Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee on the global intellectual property challenges and priorities for manufacturers in the United States. While manufacturers have long called for stronger intellectual property protection, Ong’s testimony comes at a time when IP theft has been on the rise; a 2017 report by the Commission on the Theft of Intellectual Property found that stolen ideas, brands and inventions drain up to $600 billion from the U.S. economy—nearly double the amount found just four years previously.

In his testimony, Ong highlighted a growing tide of fake products sold in the United States, which has been estimated to cost the U.S. economy between $29 billion and $41 billion every year. He also detailed sophisticated attempts by bad actors to steal U.S. companies’ trade secrets; one 2014 study estimated that the economic loss from trade secret theft is between $180 billion and $500 billion. In addition, he discussed attempts at international organizations to weaken IP protections in the name of other policy priorities, from public health to environmental protection, and explained how these actions overlook the importance of innovation and create barriers to progress.

“The United States has long made vigorous protection of IP rights at home and abroad a cornerstone of our manufacturing competitiveness, but we must do more in the face of these and other challenges,” said Ong. “It is more critical now than ever before that the United States strongly defend intellectual property and innovation around the world in all available forums.”

Ong’s testimony was accompanied by a full list of recommendations on a country-by-country basis to protect the full scope of threats to manufacturers’ intellectual property.

Manufacturers have recently made important progress on intellectual property protections. For example, the “phase one” trade deal between China and the United States—which was a major victory for manufacturers—included Chinese commitments on trade secret protection, patent protection, trademark issues and judicial enforcement. Still, manufacturers continue to fight for robust support of American innovation.

“Every day, manufacturers across the country are transforming their operations to achieve greater efficiency, productivity and competitiveness while working to create a better tomorrow,” said Ong. “None of that is possible without U.S. leadership, driving strong rules to protect our IP and robust enforcement efforts. The success of our industry—and the strength of our economy—depend on it.”

In advance of the upcoming Nevada caucuses, presidential candidates convened at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas on Sunday to discuss their plans for the future of America’s infrastructure. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and businessman Tom Steyer took part in the event, titled .”

United for Infrastructure, a nonprofit that educates the American public about the importance of infrastructure to the nation’s economy, workers and communities hosted the event. As a member of the United for Infrastructure steering committee, the 51�Թ��� helps advance an infrastructure agenda that unites business and labor interests in a common call for urgent action to modernize U.S. infrastructure.

“From making products to transporting them to customers, modern manufacturers must be incredibly precise to maximize productivity, but without reliable infrastructure, it’s impossible to do that cutting-edge work,” said 51�Թ��� Director of Infrastructure, Innovation and Human Resources Policy Catie Kawchak. “Now is the time to deliver transformational advancements to the infrastructure that connects our communities and facilitates free enterprise.”

Manufacturers led the call for significant infrastructure investment. In 2019, the 51�Թ��� updated “Building to Win,” a blueprint to revitalize our nation’s infrastructure. The comprehensive policy framework provides solutions to support workers in the United States, jumpstart economic growth, spur job creation and enhance quality of life by improving and expanding transportation, energy, water and digital infrastructure in order to pave the way for the success of new generations. It also lays out a path for Congress to fund these investments.

“I was encouraged to hear the candidates participating in the forum say that modernizing U.S. infrastructure must be a top priority,” said Kawchak. “While we won’t agree with every candidate on every specific, each candidate included provisions from ‘Building to Win’ in their infrastructure platforms. Building a 21st-century infrastructure system is a top priority for manufacturers and an issue that unites diverse stakeholders—from Republicans to Democrats and from business to labor. It will remain an important issue for candidates throughout the election cycle.”