AMT chairman Dan Janka, along with other manufacturing industry leaders, conveyed ideas for revitalizing American industry to Vice President Biden and other administration officials at a recent meeting of Biden's Middle Class Task Force. Janka, Board Chairman of the AMT (Association for Manufacturing Technology), was part of a group that included representatives of Harley-Davidson, Spirit AeroSystems, Honeywell, Dow Corning, International Paper, Goodyear and others at a meeting with the Vice President, Commerce Secretary Locke, Labor Secretary Solis, National Economic Council Director Larry Summers, Manufacturing Czar Ron Bloom, and other top industry and Administration staff.
"The meeting established a forum for manufacturing representatives to convey their ideas on what the government can do to support growth and revitalization of U.S. manufacturing," said Janka. "Our most pressing interests are extension of the current R&D tax credit and the 50 percent bonus depreciation for capital spending on equipment and plant infrastructure. Government can also encourage innovation through Federal manufacturing R&D programs. In addition, we emphasized the urgent need for reform of U.S. export controls and business VISA requirements."
According to Janka, U.S. export controls put the domestic machine tool industry at a significant competitive disadvantage by forbidding export of certain products. "These same products, such as 5-axis machine tools, are freely produced and exported by our European and Asian competitors," he explained.
"The meeting established a forum for manufacturing representatives to convey their ideas on what the government can do to support growth and revitalization of U.S. manufacturing," said Janka. "Our most pressing interests are extension of the current R&D tax credit and the 50 percent bonus depreciation for capital spending on equipment and plant infrastructure. Government can also encourage innovation through Federal manufacturing R&D programs. In addition, we emphasized the urgent need for reform of U.S. export controls and business VISA requirements."
According to Janka, U.S. export controls put the domestic machine tool industry at a significant competitive disadvantage by forbidding export of certain products. "These same products, such as 5-axis machine tools, are freely produced and exported by our European and Asian competitors," he explained.
| [1] [2] |
