NEW PHILADELPHIA, OH – During a visit to Lauren Manufacturing in New Philadelphia today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called for passage of legislation to boost manufacturing by bringing together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies and all levels of government to accelerate manufacturing innovation in technologies with commercial applications.

“Ohio’s manufacturing history and rich network of public-private partnership make our state a leader in innovation,” Brown said. “While we’ve made great advancements, like here in New Philadelphia, there’s still more to be made and more jobs to create. That’s why we must help businesses get the resources they need to expand and invest.”

Lauren Manufacturing is part of the growing polymer market in the U.S. Nearly nine percent of U.S. polymer workers are in Ohio – more than any other state. Around the state, polymer research and development is also taking place at the National Composite Center in Dayton, Polymer Ohio in Columbus, and at NorTech in Kent.

The bipartisan Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act (RAMI) would bolster these collaborations by establishing public-private institutes to leverage resources to bridge the gap between basic research and product development, provide shared assets to help companies—particularly small and medium-size manufacturing enterprises—access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, and create an environment to educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing skills. Each Institute will serve as a regional hub of manufacturing excellence, providing the innovation infrastructure to support regional manufacturing and ensuring that our manufacturing sector is a key pillar in an economy that is built to last. This model has been successfully deployed in other countries and would address a gap in the U.S. manufacturing innovation infrastructure.

 

 

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