A Look at the Manufacturing Industry’s Response to COVID-19

Countries around the world have been dealing with the spread of COVID-19 and its effects on society and the economy. This disease has affected virtually every industry and business owners are still looking for ways to adapt to these new challenges and make it through these uncertain times. The manufacturing industry is responding to COVID-19 with a series of actions and initiatives to keep the manufacturing workforce safe and improve long-term economic outcomes.

COVID-19 Policy Action Plan Recommendations

The National Association of Manufacturers, an advocacy group based in Washington D.C., is spearheading the manufacturing industry’s response to COVID-19. The association has developed several key action steps and is requesting legislative and administrative support from the federal government to ensure the best possible response to the virus in the short term and in the long run. The COVID-19 Policy Action Plan Recommendations consists of five basic action items to ensure an effective response to COVID-19 and any similar public health emergencies in the future:

• Keeping Our Workforce Safe and Healthy: One of the most important priorities for the National Association of Manufacturers during this time is to ensure the safety and health of the manufacturing workforce. To achieve this goal, the NAM recommends a combination of workplace safety precautions and health measures and improved protections and credits for employers who pay workers during business closures or quarantine measures.
• Protecting Our Communities: In addition to actions specific to the manufacturing industry, broader actions are also important priorities for NAM. The COVID-19 Policy Action Plan Recommendations call on lawmakers and government officials to improve the availability of PPE and testing equipment to keep communities safe and healthy.
• Providing Economic Stability: At a time when many businesses are struggling with closures, furloughs, layoffs and decreased consumer demand, it is crucial that the government enacts economic stability initiatives. These initiatives include emergency loans for businesses and leniency from financial institutions.
• Encouraging Resilient Growth in the United States: The NAM is requesting measures to be taken by the government to promote sustainable growth of the manufacturing industry in the United States. The NAM makes a number of recommendations to this end, including new tax credits to encourage onshoring efforts and support manufacturing growth for businesses in the United States.
• Encouraging Long-Term Job Growth: The Encouraging Long-Term Job Growth recommendations outlined in the NAM plan include a variety of actions relating to exports, imports, trade and tariffs to keep the United States manufacturing industry competitive.

At a time when there is a lot of uncertainty about the future, it’s more important than ever to partner with service providers and professionals that you can trust. At KASO Plastics, we are committed to providing the highest quality design and engineering services possible to our customers. Contact us to learn more about what we have to offer.