Page 44 - MetalForming July 2012

PMA turned a corner in 2002, adopting advocacy as a means for getting the metal- forming industry’s voice heard in Washing- ton, D.C. The seminal event was a hearing on Capitol Hill in September of that year, to argue against Section 201 steel tariffs that were hurting the small- to mid-sized manu- facturers that form the backbone of Ameri- can industry. Besides testifying at the hear- ings, PMA members rallied in front of the U.S. Capitol (shown), even hauling in a stamping press on a flatbed truck to help make their point.
Nothing Beats Face-to-Face Contact
The advent of social networks and access to all sorts of information via the Internet has led some companies to question the value of an association as a means to network. Zierick doesn’t buy such views.
“I don’t care how many social-net- working opportunities are out there, peo- ple get so much more out of face-to-face contact,” she says. “When PMA organiz- es an event—the Annual Meeting, Awards of Excellence, CEO Networking Group,
Women in Manufacturing or any of the numerous roundtables or training ses- sions where members meet with other people dealing with similar challenges— the face-to-face interactions far surpass anything available off of the Internet. That is where PMA will continue to offer great value to members, by providing that personal contact.”
A Voice in Washington
PMA turned a corner in 2002, adopt- ing advocacy as a means for getting the metalforming industry’s voice
heard in Washington, D.C. The seminal event was a hearing on Capitol Hill in September of that year, to argue against Section 201 steel tariffs enacted earlier in 2002. The tariffs, argued PMA mem- bers, were hurting the small- to mid- sized manufacturers that form the backbone of American industry. Never before had such a group been formed to have its voice heard in Washington. Besides testifying at the hearings, PMA members rallied in front of the U.S. Capitol, even hauling in a stamping press on a flatbed truck to help make
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42 MetalForming/July 2012
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