Maryland Manufacturer to Increase Hiring, Invest
Maryland’s Marlin Steel Wire Products has long been a leader in its industry—and, because of tax reform, it plans to bring new jobs to its Baltimore facility and invest in the latest technology that will keep it ahead of the competition.“From the moment tax reform was announced, Marlin Steel decided we’re all in,” said Marlin Steel President and Owner Drew Greenblatt. “We knew the economy would crank up and that there would be optimism—but it was like a gun shot off.”
First on the docket? Investing in the latest technology, to increase efficiency and help Marlin Steel meet skyrocketing demand for its products.
“We’ve reconfigured our factory and bought six robots from Arkansas, Ohio and Minnesota,” said Greenblatt. “We largely buy products that are made in America—American robots, American steel.”
Marlin Steel’s new technology includes a 121-ton stamping press from Ohio, which was delivered in July, as well as a robotic threader from Chicago, which was delivered at the end of August.
“Every order for new technology went out because I trusted that House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Donald Trump would come through on their tax reform promises,” Greenblatt added. “And they did.”
In fact, Marlin Steel invested in so much new technology that it had to bring in a utility company to run new wires throughout its facility—adding seven and a half times the maximum power so it could handle the latest equipment.
Adding new equipment to deal with rising demand also means hiring new employees. Marlin Steel plans to increase dramatically the size of its staff by more than 20 percent. Many of these employees are formerly unemployed steelworkers from Baltimore—and Greenblatt takes special pride in helping them reenter the workforce.
“We’re helping bring people in Baltimore back into the middle class,” he said. “That’s what this is all about. We’re giving our employees the extraordinary tools they need to run circles around other countries, to make them more productive than workers in other countries.”
Already, Marlin Steel’s investment in productivity is helping bring business back from overseas. Greenblatt explained that a big customer recently closed a factory in India and moved those 15 product lines to Marlin Steel’s Baltimore facility—specifically because of Marlin Steel’s superior efficiency and quality.
“Suddenly, the U.S. is competitive again,” said Greenblatt. “We’re so enthusiastic about the future opportunities we have, thanks to tax reform.”
Related
Manufacturers Unveil Competitiveness Agenda Ahead of Midterm Elections
“Competing to Win” offers a path for bringing the country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose
Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the midterm elections, the National Association of Manufacturers released its policy roadmap, “Competing to Win,” a comprehensive blueprint featuring immediate solutions for bolstering manufacturers’ competitiveness. It is also a roadmap for policymakers on the laws and regulations needed to strengthen the manufacturing industry in the months and years ahead.
With the country facing rising prices, snarled supply chains and geopolitical turmoil, manufacturers are outlining an actionable competitiveness agenda that Americans across the political spectrum can support. “Competing to Win” includes the policies manufacturers in America will need in place to continue driving the country forward.
“‘Competing to Win’ offers a path for bringing our country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “The NAM is putting forward a plan filled with ideas that policymakers could pursue immediately, including solutions to urgent problems, such as energy security, immigration reform, supply chain disruptions, the ongoing workforce shortage and more. Manufacturers have shown incredible resilience through difficult times, employing more workers now than before the pandemic, but continued resilience is not guaranteed without the policies that are critical to the state of manufacturing in America.”
The NAM and its members will leverage “Competing to Win” to shape policy debates ahead of the midterm elections, in the remainder of the 117th Congress and at the start of the 118th Congress—including in direct engagement with lawmakers, for grassroots activity, across traditional and digital media and through events in key states and districts as we did following the initial rollout of the roadmap in 2016.
The document focuses on 12 areas of action, and all policies are rooted in the values that have made America exceptional and keep manufacturing strong: free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.
Learn more about how manufacturers are leading and about the industry’s competitiveness agenda at nam.org/competing-to-win.
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The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.8 million men and women, contributes $2.77 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 58% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org
