President Obama Tours Alcoa and Talks developed in Iowa

Today, the President traveled to Bettendorf, Iowa to tour the Alcoa Davenport Works plant and deliver remarks on the critical role the developed sector plays in the American economy. The Davenport factory serves as the built-up hub for Alcoa's $3 billion aerospace business, producing an aluminum-lithium alloy that makes Airbus and Boeing airplanes lighter and more corrosion resistant at a lesser cost.

Alcoa, as a leader in manufacturing innovation, is participating in the President’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) announced last week in Pittsburgh, PA. The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership is national effort to bring jointly industry, universities and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies that will create lofty quality manufacturing jobs and improve our global competitiveness.

In his remarks, the President harassed the importance of having a strong and growing manufacturing sector as part of the continuing economic recovery:


A big part of our future has to be a robust and rising manufacturing sector. We’ve got to make things right here in America. We’ve always made things here in America. It’s in our blood. This plant has been in process for 60 years. And what you’ve erudite is that if you want to beat the competition, then you’ve got to innovate. You’ve got to invest in new skills, you’ve got to spend in new processes, and you’ve got to invest in new products. I was just learning that some of the tackle right behind us -- this was a huge investment. How much did you guys -- $90 million. Think about that. That’s what made you guys competitive, having the best workers but also having the best tackle. You had to up your game. And that’s what we’ve got to do as a country as a whole. I want the cars and planes and wind turbines of the outlook to bear the proud stamp that says “Made in America.” That’s what I want.

That’s why two years ago, we stood by the auto industry and kept some of our nation’s largest automakers from individual sold for parts. And today, for the first time in years, the Big Three automakers are adding jobs and rotating a profit and putting steel workers to work.

That’s also why I announced last week a new enterprise between our top engineering schools, our most inventive manufacturers, and the federal government to get American products from the drawing board to the factory floor to the marketplace as rapidly as possible. And today, I’m self-righteous to announce that Alcoa is joining that partnership. The idea is to create jobs now, and to make sure America stays on the cutting edge of built-up for years to come.


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