Manufacturing Mondays
This morning, I toured Clips & Clamps Industries in Plymouth for Manufacturing Monday. Clips & Clamps has been a family-owned business for over 50 years. They design, engineer, & manufacture all of their own products, ranging from metal stampings to brackets to wire forms. Small manufacturing businesses like this are the lifeblood of Michigan's 11th District!
I learned a lot while visiting B&W in Livonia for this week's Manufacturing Monday. B&W's business has been hit hard by the ongoing trade war with China. We need to provide support for small businesses like B&W that have been impacted by this Administration's trade policies.
On Earth Day, I visited two manufacturing businesses focused on the future of sustainable manufacturing.
For the first Manufacturing Monday of April's District Work period, I toured two manufacturing businesses in Michigan's 11th District.
For today's Manufacturing Monday, I visited the Cobo Center for SAE's 2019 WCX event, and got the chance to witness the progress of self-driving vehicles firsthand! The car provided by Metro Detroit's Dataspeed had several modes that allowed full autonomous driving, driving from the back seat with a secondary steering wheel, and regular driving. It was so exciting to see the future of mobility right here in Michigan!
For this week's Manufacturing Monday, I had the pleasure of touring International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)'s Electrical Industry Training Center! They provide training for many skilled trades including pipefitting, electrical work, and welding. They combine classroom learning with on-the-job training and job placement, providing a much-needed service to help close the skills gap here in southeast Michigan. I'm excited to continue to work in Congress for the needs of our Michigan workforce!
I recently had the chance to visit FEV North America, which specializes in hybrid systems, autonomous testing, electric vehicles, and more! I was particularly impressed by their new Vehicle Development Center, which boasts state-of-the art calibration and testing facilities for research and production of all finds of vehicles. FEV is innovating every day to make vehicles more efficient and energy-conscious. I'm excited to bring what I learned to my colleagues on the House Science, Space, & Technology Committee as we work together to nurture future-building businesses like FEV!
Today, I visited Oakland Schools Technological Campus in Wixom. It was so exciting to see our high schoolers getting exposed to some of the skilled trades, learning skills that can put them on a path to a high-paying job. This is what we're talking about when we say the next generation is going to lead our state's economy! The Oakland Schools Technological Campus is an incredible best practice right in our MI-11 community.
This week I attended a launch event in Novi for two new clothing brands - OnPurpose Socks and Quest Brand clothing - designed and created by students at Novi High School, through the school's new business incubator program for seniors. For the next few weeks, these brands will be sold at the Twelve Oaks Mall Macy's. The Novi Incubator is an amazing program, and I'm so proud of these students for their bravery, creativity, and attention to detail.
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