Kaptur cheers deal to keep textile factory in Brooklyn, OH
Calls on N. Ohio textile companies, organizations to compete for manufacturing innovation opportunities
WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur cheered news today that W Diamond Group has agreed in principle to purchase the Hugo Boss manufacturing facility on Tiedeman Road in Brooklyn, OH.
"An American, family-owned, company has chosen to invest in Northern Ohio textile manufacturing, and that is great news for these 169 workers, their families and our entire region,” said Kaptur. “The Tiedeman Road facility is ina region that has a highly-trained textile workforce and a long history of making top quality menswear, making it a smart investment. I applaud the Williams Family for their ongoing commitment to the success of U.S. manufacturing and encourage others in the industry to learn from their example."
Mark Milko, President of Workers United Local 10, said, “We are pleased to see that Hugo Boss and W Diamond have signed a letter of intent to keep the skilled union garment workers in Brooklyn employed.”
News of the deal comes just two days after President Barack Obama visited Cleveland to announce federal competitions created to drive manufacturing innovation.
Kaptur added, “This announcement reinforces what President Obama showed by coming here this week: Northern Ohio is a perfect place to lay the foundation for America’s manufacturing renaissance. I urge companies and organizations throughout our region to pursue the opportunities he announced as part of his visit, and to reach out to my staff for information or assistance at every opportunity.”
On Wednesday the White House announced the launch of two major competitions in manufacturing innovation:
1. Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) competition to be held in 12 states including Ohio. This competition will award $316m, including $158 million from public funds and $158 million in private sector funds, over five years. Non-profits working with manufacturers can compete for cooperative agreements to operate MEP centers “to expand the range of lean production and technology acceleration services offered to small manufacturers and help bring their products to market.” For more on the competition, applicants should visit the NIST MEP competition website. A public webinar for applications will be conducted on Monday, March 30th, 2015 at 2:00 pm EST.
2. Institute for Manufacturing Innovation (IMI) competition to determine the location for a new applied research hub to facilitate the scientific and commercial development of textiles and revolutionary fibers. This competition is being run by the U.S. Department of Defense and will award $150 million, including $75 million in public funds and $75 million in private sector funding.
This will be the ninth applied research hub established in the U.S. with seven more planned during this round. The first was located in Youngstown, OH, which won the pilot competition in 2012 with 40 companies, nine research universities, five community colleges and 11 nonprofit organizations participating. That hub continues to advance applied manufacturing research with 3D printing technologies.
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