Leadership

Tire Bill Rolling Along

This week the OMA submitted written proponent testimony on Senate Bill 223, a bill that would prohibit installation of unsafe used tires on motor vehicles.

OMA wrote: “Industry leaders have identified a problem with too many unsafe used tires entering the stream of commerce, available for installation to a motoring public who may not be aware of their unsafe condition.

“In an effort to protect against unsafe driving, the tire manufacturers have suggested this legislation to better prevent the installation of unsafe used tires and provide enhanced public safety.”

The bill passed the Senate in December and now needs House approval. 2/1/2018

Kasich Appoints DeGenaro to High Court

Gov. Kasich announced this week that he has appointed Judge Mary DeGenaro of the 7th District Court of Appeals to replace Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill.

Justice O’Neill announced that he will retire on Friday, Jan. 26; he has announced intentions to run as a Democratic candidate for governor.

DeGenaro, a Republican, would need to run in this November’s general election to retain the seat. 1/25/2018

2018 OMA Policy Committee Calendars Set

OMA has five standing member-driven policy committees – energy, environment, government affairs, safety & workers’ compensation, and tax.

The goals of the committees are to provide critical information to members that help them comply with regulations and compete as well as to drive favorable public policies.

Members who join committees can participate in person or via phone. Meetings are held at the OMA offices in Columbus, and several meetings are held regionally as well. Meeting materials are sent to committee members even if they are not able to attend.

The 2018 meeting calendar is set and available here.

It’s easy to join committees. Log into My OMA and click on My Communities to subscribe. There are no extra fees associated with committee membership and in-person meetings always include a nice lunch. 1/23/2018

OMA Members Rate Membership Favorably

OMA president Eric Burkland annually sends an email to each member inviting his or her evaluation of their membership experience.

For 2017, members assigned OMA a composite satisfaction score of 3.5 out of 4.0. We base this score on the letter grade we ask you to give us: A, B, C D or F.

Your feedback is circulated to the entire staff and reviewed each month. We especially value your reflections on opportunities for improvement.

Thank you for taking the time to help us improve our offerings and our service. 1/23/2018

2018 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition Is Open

The Aluminum Extrusion Council’s 2018 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition is open. The competition offers educators a unique teaching opportunity about manufacturing processes while encouraging students to show off their talent, ingenuity and creativity. It challenges designers and engineers to think about aluminum extrusions as a holistic solution to a design problem by creating a product or system that includes at least one extruded aluminum component.

Scholarships and cash prizes will be awarded in the competition, which offers two possible tracks to compete in: student class and professional class. Here’s more. 1/24/2018

Are You Doing Aeronautics Research?

The Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN) is releasing a request-for-proposal (RFP) for its new initiative: Sustaining Ohio’s Aeronautical Readiness and Innovation in the Next Generation (SOARING).

The SOARING RFP is focused on expanding Ohio’s leadership in federal and industry aerospace research, development and sustainment for unmanned air systems, personal air vehicles, and logistics delivery air vehicles.

OFRN anticipates deploying $7-10M for the initiative, with each individual project able to seek up to $2M. A minimum 1:1 cost share is required.

Here’s a short summary and here’s more detailed information. 1/23/2018

Long Time OMA Director Passes

John C. Thompson, former OMA director and retired president and CEO of the Hall China Company of East Liverpool, passed away at the age of 91 on January 4.

OMA staff and directors who knew him will remember John for his soft-spoken and spot-on insights as he helped steer the association as a director on its all-volunteer board. He served for 45 years  and if he missed a quarterly meeting, no one can remember it. He was a gentleman in every way.

Like his peers, his passion for Ohio manufacturing helped shape the industry into the leading contributor of Ohio’s GDP that it is today. Rest well, John. 1/18/2018

Tax Reform, Check. Now, Infrastructure

This week National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons wrote to President Trump urging action on infrastructure revitalization.

The letter highlights manufacturers’ dependence on all types of transportation, energy, water and broadband infrastructure while encouraging long-term issues such as the chronic funding shortages for key programs such as the Highway Trust Fund. 1/11/2018 

Manufacturing Employment Highest Since January 2009

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) published an economic post this week, reporting, “The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that manufacturers added 25,000 workers in December, extending the strong hiring gains in the sector seen throughout much of 2017. Manufacturing employment rose by 16,333 per month on average in 2017—quite a turnaround from the loss of 16,000 workers per month in 2016. This is a sign that firms have stepped up their hiring as a result of a stronger economic outlook and increased demand and production activity. Indeed, since the end of the Great Recession, manufacturing employment has risen by 1,086,000 workers, with 12.54 million employees in the sector in this report. That is the highest level of manufacturing employment since January 2009.”

See the post for more insights and indicators about the manufacturing economy. 1/9/2018

Cybersecurity Safe Harbor Bill Has Hearing

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine created CyberOhio to help Ohio businesses and consumers fight data security threats. One of the group’s primary objectives is to draft legislation that improves the cybersecurity legal environment in Ohio.

The first legislative proposal is Senate Bill 220, the so-called “Safe Harbor” bill. The bill helps businesses defend against a lawsuit alleging that a data breach was caused by the business’s failure to implement reasonable information security controls.

In order to be protected under the proposed Safe Harbor legislation, a business must proactively implement and maintain a cybersecurity program that complies with one of eight different industry-recognized cybersecurity frameworks.

You can learn more about the bill in this one-pager or you can read an analysis of the bill. 1/11/2018