IMEC president: 'Manufacturing in and of itself is kind of an economic security'

[September 20, 2022]  By Trina Thomas

(The Center Square) – Illinois leaders are working tirelessly to treat the manufacturing sector as a national security issue in the United States.

Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center President David Boulay recently issued statements in response to U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood’s pleas for tax credits to boost the manufacturing sector as a national security measure.

During a recent McLean County Chamber of Commerce briefing, LaHood, R-Peoria, stated that COVID-19 testing, personal protective equipment and face masks come from China. Ninety-five percent of face mask production stems from China, according to NPR Illinois.

Boulay states this should be enough reason for the U.S. to uplift the manufacturing industry as a focus toward U.S. national security.

“Manufacturing is what helps ensure a functioning society and I think there are some real key things that have happened here in the last few years where we start looking at the pandemic and our ability to find and source medical supplies at critical moments,” Boulay told The Center Square.

The U.S. is one nation that does not have a cohesive industrial policy, he said. Supporting and strengthening manufacturing through legislation like the CHIPS act, which provides a 25% tax credit to semiconductor producers to work in the U.S. instead of China, is one step in the right direction but certainly not the last.

According to Boulay, the current workforce is one major battle the manufacturing sector faces today. Investments, talent, technology, especially production technology, are a few manufacturing areas that Illinois and the nation should focus on.

“New supply chains, as we think about electric vehicles and making sure that we build those more localized," Boulay said. "These are some of the ways that I think about how we help ensure that factoring stays robust and continues to grow."

According to IMEC, Boulay knows the industry from the ground up. Growing up learning the ins and outs of a family-owned business, he has filled numerous roles in companies like Frito-Lay and Pillsbury in food plant sanitation, maintenance supervision, maintenance production, plant manager and business unit manager. Holding a doctoral degree that zeroed in on high performance work practices, Boulay is well-versed in how a company’s success is determined by the skills and talents of the workforce that makes the manufacturing magic happen.

“The industry itself is a powerhouse," Boulay said. "And again, when we think of all of the parts of what manufacturing brings to our communities, that has that multiplier effect in so many ways to help keep a strong and vibrant economy.”