Senator Coons tours Dentsply Caulk plant

MILFORD – Senator Coons visited the Dentsply Caulk plant in Milford on Tuesday to hear about how the company has kept growing over its 135 years in business. The company is a division of Dentsply International, the world’s largest professional dental products manufacturer.

In 2008, thanks in part to the Delaware Economic Development Office, Dentsply underwent an $8.3 million expansion to accommodate pharmaceutical and infection control manufacturing processes, and added 14-thousand square feet of processing spaces. In 2001, they spent $11 million to modernize the plant.  The Milford facility also went through significant expansions in the 1990s and 1980s.

“Dentsply Caulk has become a leader in the professional dental product industry and serves as an example of how hard work, innovation and investment in the community can propel a company forward,” Chris said. “Their team has made huge strides since coming to Delaware and is improving dental equipment and products to better serve doctors and patients around the globe.”

Chris spent much of his visit learning about the low volume/high value products that Dentsply manufactures. He also learned much more about the different manufacturing techniques and unique materials used by Dentsply.

Dentsply International has facilities in 22 nations on six continents, manufacturing and distributing products in 120 countries under well-known industry brand names. Dentsply Caulk has made recent break through innovations in composite resins, for instance Prime & Bond® NT™ single component bonding agent, Aquasil Ultra Smart Wetting® impression materials and Esthet•X® HD Micro Matrix Restorative.

Dentsply Caulk has three sites in Milford, totaling over 325k sq. ft., with more than 400 associates. 

Senator Coons visits Baltimore Aircoil's Milford plant

MILFORD — Senator Coons toured Baltimore Aircoil Company in Milford on Tuesday. Chris, a member of the Senate Energy Committee and a member of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, learned how this 70-plus year old company makes large commercial-size heating and cooling units like cooling towers, closed circuit cooling towers, evaporative cooling or ice thermal storage for commercial and industrial buildings.  

Chris was also very interested in a new product the company has developed that is extremely water efficient and perfect for arid climates like in Africa and the American Southwest.

“I was impressed to get a first-hand look at how Baltimore Aircoil Milford is working hard to make a quality product while keeping an eye toward energy conservation,” Chris said. “Baltimore Aircoil’s Milford plant has grown significantly since it was first built in 1974 — this is a testament to its quality workforce and product and to its investment in the surrounding community.”

In the past decade, domestic export sales for Baltimore Aircoil Milford have quadrupled. The facility spans 180,000 square feet and currently employs just over 400 people. Manufacturing capabilities include sheet metal fabrication, coil fabrication, thermoforming, powder coating and assembly. The Milford facility used 18.3 million pounds of steel and 3,000 miles of PVC last year.

Baltimore Aircoil has offices and facilities around the world, and the Milford facility is one of their largest production centers.

You can read more about the visit here in the Milford Beacon.

Video: Senator Coons urges colleagues to pass the Bring Jobs Home Act

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) took to the Senate floor on Wednesday morning to urge his Senate colleagues to stand together to help U.S. companies “insource” jobs by passing the Bring Jobs Home Act. The legislation, which Senator Coons is an original cosponsor of, ends taxpayer subsidies to companies that ship jobs overseas and incentivizes companies to bring jobs back to the United States.  The bill is expected to be voted on by the full Senate on Thursday.

Senator Coons, two Delaware business leaders participate in roundtable discussion on job creation

WASHINGTON –Senator Coons participated in a roundtable discussion for ways of duplicating the success of innovative, job-creating American businesses in the Capitol on Wednesday. The meeting was hosted by the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee and featured representatives from more than 15 companies, including Patrick Owens, president of ILC Dover, and Marty Miller, CEO of Miller Metal in Bridgeville.

“As our nation lifts itself out of this recession, we should turn for guidance to companies that are strengthening our economy and creating jobs,” Chris said. “These past few years have really taken its toll on Delaware’s economy with the closing of several key businesses around the state; however, there are several small companies in Delaware that have been successful. I was honored to invite Patrick Owens and Marty Miller to join today’s meeting and appreciate their input on how the federal government can help businesses grow. I look forward to keeping an open line of communication with them and other Delaware businesses leaders so we can work in partnership to strengthen our state’s economy and get more Delawareans back to work.”

Mr. Miller said during the meeting that thanks to a Small Business Administration loan and assistance from the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), Miller Metal was able to purchase a laser cutter: the laser and the MEP have helped Miller Metal increase its workforce from 30 employees to 75.

The Senator has made job creation a top priority for his time in the Senate. Most recently, he joined on as an original cosponsored of the Bring Jobs Home Act which would end taxpayer subsidies to companies that ship jobs overseas and incentivizes companies to bring jobs back to the United States.    

In an effort at bipartisanship, in May, he joined with U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in introducing the Startup Act 2.0, which is designed to promote innovation and jumpstart the economy through the creation and growth of new businesses and jobs.

Bloom Energy breaks ground in Newark

NEWARK — Senator Coons was on hand to commemorate the ground-breaking of Bloom Energy's new manufacturing facility on the grounds of the old Chrysler plant in Newark Monday morning -- an important moment for the Delaware's economic future.

"When we think about the threads that will keep America competitive in the global economy for the next generation, we think of innovation, entrepreneurship, clean energy and manufacturing - and all of those are coming together today here in Delaware," Senator Coons said. "In building its East Coast facility here in Newark, Bloom isn't just investing in its own cutting-edge technology - Bloom is investing in Delaware's communities, our families, and our future. This is a wonderful day for Delaware, and is a day made possible because of what Delaware brings to the table: a talented workforce, a welcoming business climate, and the tremendous leadership of folks like Governor Markell, Secretary O'Mara and DEDO Director Levin. I am proud to welcome Bloom Energy to Delaware today, and look forward to a long, fruitful relationship."

What We’re Reading: Factory output jumps in January

The Associated Press reported Monday that the overall output of American factories for the months of December and January were the best the sector has seen in five years.

Job creation, with a particular focus on manufacturing jobs, has been Senator Coons’ top priority since joining the Senate. He is a member of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, devoted his maiden speech to the importance of America manufacturing, and unveiled his “Blueprint for American Jobs,” which contains measures to boost growth in the manufacturing sector.

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that manufacturing production increased 0.7% in January. And output soared 1.5% in December, according to an upward revision. That was the biggest gain since December 2006.

…

Factory output has risen 16.7% from its low point during the recession, in June 2009. It is still 7.1% below its December 2007 peak.

Two strong months of manufacturing growth are among the encouraging signs that show the economy could grow at a steady pace this year. The pickup in manufacturing coincides with five straight months of solid job growth, which has lowered the unemployment rate to 8.3%.

Click here to read the full article on USA Today’s website.

Click here to learn more about Senator Coons’ work to improve the economy and create jobs.  

Budget Analysis: Manufacturing and competitiveness

In reviewing President Obama’s budget proposal, Senator Coons was especially interested in programs to create good-quality jobs and help Delaware and America compete and win in a global economy.

To achieve these goals, Chris has actively supported manufacturing programs, as well investments in research and development, in previous legislation.  President Obama zeroed in on some of these same solutions in his budget. Highlights include:

• Manufacturing Tax Incentives.  The budget plan includes tax incentives for manufacturers who create jobs here and doubles the deduction for advanced manufacturing.  It also ends tax deductions for shipping jobs overseas and creates a Manufacturing Communities Tax Credit to encourage investment in communities affected by job loss.

• Innovation Corps.  The Administration proposes $19 million for a new public-private “Innovation Corps” program aimed at bringing together the technological, entrepreneurial, and business know-how necessary to bring discoveries ripe for innovation out of the university lab.

• Research and Development. The budget blueprint makes the R&D tax credit permanent, an idea Senator Coons strongly supports and has introduced as legislation because of its importance to economic competitiveness. The budget proposal includes an overall number of $140.8 billion for R&D and increases the level of investment in non-defense R&D by 5 percent from the 2012 level as well as provides $2.2 billion for advanced manufacturing R&D, a 19% increase over 2012.

• International Trade Administration.  Proposed funding for this program, which promotes exports and trade enforcement, is increased by $60 million, or 14%.

SOTU Analysis: Creating jobs by strengthening manufacturing

In his address to the nation last night, President Obama laid out his plan for a retooled American economy that works for everyone. He made clear that a competitive, innovative manufacturing sector will be a critical building block of that economy, saying “this blueprint begins with American manufacturing.”

This is a vision certainly shared by Senator Coons.

In the last two years, American manufacturing has grown at its fastest rate in decades, adding 334,000 new jobs since January 2010. We added 23,000 manufacturing jobs in December alone.

“We have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back — but we have to seize it,” President Obama said.

The question is what to do to harness that momentum in hopes of facilitating a manufacturing renaissance in this country.

In his address and accompanying strategy, President Obama proposed a series of initiatives designed to harness the momentum the manufacturing sector is already experiencing. Chief among them are incentives for American companies to bring their manufacturing jobs back to the United States.

“If you’re an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut,” President Obama said. “If you’re a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here.  And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.”

President Obama also called for the Research and Development Tax Credit to be expanded and made permanent – something Senator Coons strongly supports and has introduced legislation to do.

Senator Coons has met with manufacturers across Delaware and turned their ideas into legislative action, building bipartisan support for new tax credits to support local manufacturers and ensure quality  products are “Made in America, Manufactured in Delaware.”

Click here to read more about Chris’ ideas for promoting job creation. 

Miss the State of the Union address?

Did you miss President Obama's State of the Union address last night? You can watch it below, in its "enhanced" format from the White House.

And click here to download President Obama's "Blueprint for an America Built to Last."

Senator Coons was largely impressed with the President's strategy. Here's what he said in a statement afterward:

"President Obama tonight laid out a positive vision for where our country is headed, powered by an economy built to work for all Americans. I share President Obama’s belief that if you work hard and play by the rules in this country, you deserve a real shot at economic fairness. I look forward to working with him this year to restore the economic fairness we seem to have lost. President Obama’s blueprint touches all the right areas if you’re trying to build an economy that works for everyone. For the first time in 15 years, America’s manufacturing sector is growing again. We need to invest in that momentum, grow domestic and clean energy production, and enhance the skills of American workers. Importantly, we have to do it in a bipartisan way that is economically fair to all Americans.”

Throughout the day today here on the blog we'll post more specific thoughts on individual parts of the President's blueprint, including manufacturing, clean energy, equal pay for equal work, community colleges and more.

ILC Dover supporting national security

DOVER – Senator Coons on Tuesday helped celebrate the production of ILC Dover’s 100th Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS).  Chris and Senator Carper got a first-hand look at how the lighter-than-air vehicles, called aerostats, are manufactured at the company’s Dover facility, which opened in the spring of 2010.

While in Afghanistan last February, Chris saw one of ILC Dover’s PTDS vehicles in action.  PTDS is a highly effective, combat-proven, aerostat-based intelligence system used for surveillance, reconnaissance and communications in support of force-protection and counter-IED (improvised explosive devices) missions.  Used by the U.S. Army since 2004, the systems provide around-the-clock coverage of broad geographic areas for weeks at a time with multi-mission sensors.  The height at which they fly and their construction make them difficult targets for ground-based attacks. 

ILC Dover is also designing and manufacturing the Resilient Tunnel Plug (RTP), which inflates to isolate sections of transit or rail tunnels in response to an event such as flooding, release of chemical or biological agents, or other threats. The multi-phase project has closely coordinated with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to develop plugs that meet their operational and technical requirements.

As ILC Dover employees and management gathered in front of the RTP, Chris took the opportunity to emphasize that the future of manufacturing is directly tied to quality STEM education.  He emphasized that the manufacturing industry plays a key role in the economic recovery of our nation.

As Chris told WHYY, "We're doing everything we can to make sure that products like these that are invented in Delaware are manufactured in Delaware, and that our schools and our community continue to support high-quality, high-tech manufacturing businesses.”

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work for Delaware businesses.