Could RI manufacturing be revived?
Cicilline bill would help support manufacturers
PROVIDENCE – After he toured the Goodwin-Bradley manufacturing facility in Providence on Wednesday morning, U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline said that now is the moment for Rhode Island to capitalize on its history of innovation and manufacturing, as he promoted a piece of legislation that he introduced that seeks to reinvigorate the industry while creating jobs.
Cicilline’s tour of the Providence facility served as an acknowledgment of the advancing of the Make it in America Manufacturing Communities Act – legislation that would unite higher education institutions, private sector entities, and government agencies to apply for a manufacturing community designation, which would give the state a leg up when applying for federal economic development assistance.
The legislation last week advanced through the Senate’s Commerce Committee and is moving to the floor of the U.S. Senate.
Cicilline said that the state is well positioned to receive the manufacturing community designation, adding that Rhode Island will have to demonstrate the significance of manufacturing in its region and develop strategies for investments in workforce training and retraining, advanced research, infrastructure and site development, supply chain support, promotion of exports and foreign direct investment, and operational improvement and capital access for manufacturers.
The Goodwin-Bradley facility in Providence served as the ideal location for Cicilline to tour and promote his bill. A family-owned manufacturer with 105 years of history, the company has had a hand in the production of the Model-T engine, the Wasp Engine, and the first atomic submarine. While it was involved in automobile parts manufacturing in its inception, Goodwin-Bradley has since refocused on producing aerospace rubber seals and tooling for forming and metal parts.
Since a partnership with Polaris MEP, GoodwinBradley has generated $450,000 in increased and retained sales, expanded its workforce by 25 percent, and invested $400,000 in new equipment. Cicilline said that Goodwin-Bradley was capitalizing on a “gold rush” of aerospace technology.
“They redesigned and used their workforce to respond to the economy of the 21st century,” Cicilline later said.
Showcasing the value in manufacturing, Cicilline pointed out that the bill has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
“This will help our manufacturing ecosystem grow,” he said. Referencing Goodwin-Bradley, the congressman said that they are a “great example of investing in manufacturing,” adding that their work requires a new level of training and education and a higher level of skill and training.