President Obama highlighted the role of advanced manufacturing to the US economy yesterday with a visit to Alcoa’s aerospace component plant in Davenport, Iowa.
Davenport is the manufacturing hub of Alcoa's $3 billion aerospace business, producing high-tech products for all major aircraft, including the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger plane, and Boeing's 747-8 and 777.
"Alcoa is showing us the future we can build here in eastern Iowa and across the country," said President Obama while touring the plant. "At companies like Alcoa reinvention is a way of life...that spirit is at the heart of our American story."
The President was shown around the facility by Alcoa chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld and Davenport Works vice president and general manager Malcolm Murphy.
"Alcoa has been at the center of the aerospace industry since the very beginning," said Kleinfeld. "Nothing would fly without aluminum. Today's visit recognizes the teamwork and passion that keeps Alcoa at the forefront of innovation and advanced manufacturing in the US and abroad."
After touring the Davenport facility, the President spoke to about 400 Alcoa employees and members of the community, highlighting his newly announced Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), a national effort bringing together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies to create high quality manufacturing jobs and enhance competitiveness. Obama announced that Alcoa was joining the partnership effort, which was launched last week in Pittsburgh.
"The idea is to create jobs now and to make sure America stays on the cutting edge of manufacturing for years to come," President Obama said. "They have a saying at Alcoa, nobody is perfect, but a team can be. As a team, America can perfect itself, but we have to start working as a team."
Alcoa's Davenport Works employs 2,200 people and more than 25 percent of its revenue comes from global exports.
