Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/104912
courtesy of I Make America posted on the site under the heading ���A Day in American Life.��� The intention is to communicate to the public how important manufacturing jobs are to the U.S. economy ��� and how important it is to let congressional leaders know their constituents support manufacturing jobs and the legislation that affects them. Examples include the surface transportation bill, which was finally passed 1,000 days after its original expiration, and the 2012 Farm Bill, which is still in the works. ���It���s a domino effect. (These bills) create spending, create jobs,��� explains Froland. ���When our people have good jobs and disposable income to go out and have an impact, the overall message is that (these bills) have farreaching effects on the community.��� Jeff Herb, who has been with Miller Electric for 34 years, is one of the company���s employees featured in their ���I Make America��� video. In the video, Herb and others speak about the interconnectedness between manufacturing and a vital community. ���A lot of what we do (at Miller Electric) is donate time and money ��� w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m an added benefit of a good economy is reaching out to those in need,��� says Herb, product manager for Miller Electric���s manufacturing industries group. ���Infrastructure means good jobs.��� At a recent AEM conference, Froland says a speaker made the issue clear: While other countries might have a lower labor cost, they can���t get their product to where they need to be because the roads are so bad. One example the speaker used was Russia, ���where there���s a lot of arable land, but they can���t always get their crops out because the highways are so poor. Infrastructure gives us a competitive advantage.��� The surface transportation bill provides funding for roads and bridges and, according to the ���I Make America��� website, is expected to save nearly 2 million jobs and create another million. Similarly, the Farm Bill impacts hundreds of thousands of jobs by clearly establishing the country���s agricultural policies, on the web The Association of Equipment Manufacturers������I Make America��� campaign, including the video campaign ���A Day in American Life,��� can be found at http://imakeamerica.com. In addition to Miller Electric, other New North companies that are supporters of AEM���s ���I Make America��� include: �� Manitowoc Cranes �� Manitowoc Ice �� Neenah Enterprises Inc. To date, the free campaign has garnered 22,000 signatures nationwide, and that number is only expected to grow as the message continues to spread. Froland says that Miller Electric will continue to educate people about the campaign through its internal employee newsletter, social media, website and customer e-newsletters, as well as by promoting it at tradeshows. ���Our participation is not done; it���s an ongoing commitment,��� Froland says. ���One of the things they���ve asked ���When our people have good jobs and disposable income to go out and have an impact, the overall message is that (these bills) have farreaching effects on the community.��� ��� Knut Froland, director of marketing/heavy equipment group for Miller Electric providing ag-related businesses with a sense of stability when making economic decisions, including the purchasing of new equipment. While Herb acknowledges that part of Miller Electric���s support for ���I Make America��� stems from the company���s opportunity to sell its products to companies that build infrastructure, he adds, ���Look at what the bills do to the U.S. economy as a whole: (moving materials) in and out is huge to keeping manufacturing going. We protect that by having good roads and good highways so we can compete.��� if we���re interested in is to host one of our political leaders, to come to our location for a tour and use that as an opportunity to sign up more of our employees ��� some of the (participating companies) have done that with a certain degree of success,��� says. He adds that Miller Electric wholeheartedly embraces AEM���s campaign message: ���If you let everybody else make the decisions, then you don���t have a right to complain. That���s the essence of the video: Let our voices be heard. (The video) was a relatively easy way to do that.��� F January 2013 ��� Insight on Manufacturing | 19