Few people work as hard as the owners of small modern machine shops. Between running the day-to-day operations and trying to grow a thriving business, there’s little time to think about anything else.
But developments in the political sphere are likely to directly affect your business, and they’re worthy of your attention.
Your voice matters in the ongoing conversation about American manufacturing. Machine shop owners like you have the potential—and the responsibility—to come together and shape the future.
The Power of Small Modern Machine Shops
You may be wondering how your influence could make a difference in the political sphere. There are plenty of issues up for debate in Washington, D.C., that could significantly impact your precision machining business. One of the hottest topics is reshoring supply chains.
Government initiatives to encourage reshoring must be informed by the small businesses that make up the manufacturing industry. The allowances and accommodations made for larger and more powerful manufacturers and OEMs will not naturally trickle down to small job shops.
For small shops to have a voice in the conversation, they need to advocate independently of larger OEMs.
If your shop employs fewer than 100 people, you may feel powerless next to OEMs that employ thousands. But firms like yours make up 96% of all US manufacturing companies and represent a whopping 65% of US manufacturing employees.
Small shops deserve a seat at the table. Politicians will have no choice but to listen if owners speak up collectively to pursue the same goals.
Shifting the Mindset Toward Power and Advocacy
To accomplish these goals, modern machine shop owners must shift their mindset. You have the opportunity to change the narrative and influence your future. We encourage you to reframe your thinking around these truths:
- A rising tide lifts all boats. When the manufacturing industry is healthy and thriving, everyone in it benefits. You may view the shop owner down the street as a competitor, but ultimately, they’re your colleague. They understand the unique challenges you face better than anyone else. At NTMA, we prioritize peer-to-peer networking because we know that manufacturing leaders are stronger when they work together.
- Strength in numbers. Small manufacturers must recognize the immense power they can wield by banding together. Firms that employ less than 20 people make up 89% of all US manufacturing companies. Rallying even half of those shops could make a major impact. It’s time to stop assuming that your business lacks influence because it doesn’t have a lobbying, communications, or marketing department.
There’s so much strength in solidarity. It’s why NTMA emphasizes advocacy and networking for small machine shops. You can shape the future of American manufacturing, if only you seize the opportunity to join something bigger than your shop.
Our goal at NTMA is to bring forward solutions for tooling and machining businesses all over the country. We want to ensure the manufacturing industry thrives today and tomorrow, but we can’t achieve that goal without the support of more modern machine shops.
You can be part of the solutions we implement by joining NTMA today. We are stronger together than individually, and we can’t inspire meaningful change without you.
