4月5日，大约有400名明尼苏达州制造业高管聚集在明尼阿波利斯，以聆听政府和协会领导人今天所面临的关键问题，以及各种机构和政府分支机构正在努力的一些解决方案。不久之后，就可以看到关于美国制造商面临的问题的共识。发言人呼吁在许多领域进行更改。其中包括降低医疗保健成本，侵权改革以减少被视为高昂的责任奖励，税法中的修订以鼓励创新，提高劳动力的技能水平，并为美国提供“平衡运动环境”其贸易伙伴。
明尼苏达州执行董事查尔斯·阿诺德（Charles Arnold）说：“在过去的10 - 15年中，随着我们对新的，所谓的知识经济的迷恋，我们以某种方式看不见制造业是许多地方经济体的真正基岩。”精密制造协会（MPMA）。“这些具有良好好处的薪水良好的工作有助于创造美国中产阶级，并且随着越来越先进的技术的应用，它们也变得非常令人兴奋和充满挑战的职业机会。”
Frustrated by the lack of consensus and energy focused on the industry’s needs, MPMA partnered with the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), Twin Cities District, to develop the conference.
Patrick J. Cleary, senior vice president of Public and External Affairs at the National Association of Manufacturers, explained that the U.S. manufacturing sector is by comparison the fifth largest economy in the world and is about a sixth of the U.S. gross domestic product.
NAM has developed an initiative, called the Prosperity Project, that is designed to create a climate in the United States in which manufacturing can grow and prosper. One way is to reduce the cost of doing business in the United States. Cleary states, “We're at a 22 percent disadvantage versus our trading partners.” In addition, NAM would like to see legislation that would “level the playing field” for American manufacturers relative to those in other countries, change the tax system to encourage innovation and improve the skills of the workforce. The Prosperity Project details can be found atwww.nam.org/p2. Concluding his talk, Cleary asked, “If manufacturing is so large in this country, why do manufacturers have so little clout?”
Economist Jeremy Leonard, who works with the Alliance (MAPI), reported on his studies that show the combination of health care costs, taxation, tort costs, cost of regulatory compliance and pension costs cause American manufacturers to be “fighting with their hands tied.”
国家高级制造联盟（NACFAM）的创始人兼首席执行官Leo Reddy采用了解决方案方法，并指出了清醒的统计数据。他指出，制造业是2001年美国国内生产总值的14％，低于1953年的29％。不过，他认为，大多数制造业劳动力的降低都处于低技能端的范围。他说，是时候努力发展劳动力的技能了。他希望看到类似于汽车技术人员ASE认证的制造认证计划，或者像Cisco和Microsoft认证计划一样。
“Someone asked me, ‘What if I train my employees and they leave?’ ” related Reddy. “I say, what if you don’t and they stay?”
美国商务部部长唐·埃文斯（Don Evans）指出了该部门的“美国制造业”报告中的六点计划。根据埃文斯（Evans）的说法，将提出的计划包括制造委员会，以使制造商访问政府决策者，对监管合规制造商的费用进行研究，并努力积极地面对表现出不公平贸易实践的国家 /地区。保护知识产权。埃文斯（Evans）劝告观众不要成为孤立主义者，而要认识到与世界的参与仍然是一件好事。他说，人们应该将美国视为桥梁，而不是要塞。
