The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) unveiled “Faces of Manufacturing,” a new initiative designed to rally the 2.8 million men and women of the equipment manufacturing industry in support of pro-manufacturing policies. The centerpiece is a 90-second video featuring 22 equipment manufacturing workers urging their peers to speak with one united voice and tell elected officials to “create jobs, grow the economy, and keep the industry strong.” AEM will deploy the video, along with supportive digital and print materials, to equipment manufacturing facilities across the country to make sure that supporters make their voices heard and advance policies that help strengthen manufacturing in America and the communities it supports.
As Congress considers the Bipartisan Innovation Act, legislation to outcompete China, boost domestic research and manufacturing, and secure supply chains that are critical to the country’s national security and economy, “Faces of Manufacturing” will rally equipment manufacturing workers from coast to coast and drive support for the bill from the ground up. “Faces of Manufacturing” is part of I Make America, AEM’s national grassroots campaign, which educates and engages equipment manufacturing workers around the issues that impact their jobs, their families, and their communities.
“Fueled by a legacy of grit and ingenuity, America’s equipment manufacturers can outcompete anyone,” says Kip Eideberg, AEM’s senior vice president of government and industry relations. “But when other countries engage in unfair trade and investment practices, we are effectively forced to compete with one hand tied behind our back. With less than seven months until the midterm elections, we are mobilizing the men and women of our industry to send a message to Congress: they must come together in a bipartisan fashion to enhance American competitiveness and empower U.S. workers and companies to succeed in domestic and international markets.”
For more than a decade, I Make America has empowered its supporters to advocate for the policies that will keep the U.S. equipment manufacturing industry strong and workers employed. This marks the first time that the campaign has mobilized the backbone of the industry—assemblers, electricians, machinists, painters, welders, and others—to help rally everyone around a common cause. The “Faces of Manufacturing” video was shot on location at Astec (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Case IH (Racine, Wis.), Husco (Waukesha, Wis.), Komatsu America Corporation (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Kondex Corporation (Lomira, Wis.), and Miller Formless (McHenry, Ill).
