Manufacturing is of critical importance to the American economy. American manufacturing is woven into our national fiber and impacts not only our economy, but our independence and national security as well as the well-being of every American.
In January of 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order intended to strengthen domestic manufacturing and encourage the federal government to buy more products made in the United States. Of course, this wasn’t the first such executive order and far from the first effort to encourage American buyers, not just the federal government, to buy more American made products. In fact, The White House hosts an annual Made in America Showcase and, back in 1985, President Ronald Reagan declared December to be Made in America Month.
Why then is “Made in America” so important? Is it mere political theater? No. It’s more than that. In today’s global economy, consumers can look past their neighbors, look beyond their borders, for product options from around the world. This is a good thing. A great thing. Competition is good. It can make products better.
But there is something to be said for “buying local” when it makes sense. Buying American creates and supports manufacturing jobs in the US. These manufacturing jobs create and support other jobs in the US economy. In their paper “The Multiplier Effect,” Keith Nosbusch and John Bernaden of Rockwell Automation argued that there is a multiplier with manufacturing jobs – for every 100 manufacturing jobs, there are another 58 jobs indirectly created through suppliers. They stated that manufacturing creates a ripple effect that improves employment and can improve the economic vitality of a country. According to the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation Foundation (MAPI), for every full-time job in manufacturing, there are 3.4 full-time equivalent jobs created in non-manufacturing industries. The data proves that buying American creates jobs for Americans and improves the US economy.
Manufacturing and the jobs supported by it create tax revenue – both in corporate tax as well as income taxes paid by those employed. These revenues are not realized when manufacturing is offshored. Offshoring, or relying on foreign manufacturers, also puts consumers and our economy at the mercy of forces beyond our control. If a foreign government, for whatever reason, decides their manufacturers cannot export to the US, what happens then to the US companies and consumers that rely on those foreign manufacturers?
Buying American is not a cry to reduce or restrict competition. On the contrary, in his 1985 order, President Reagan said that, “Historically, competition constantly creates pressure for innovation, product improvement, and customer satisfaction…In an increasingly competitive world, we Americans must redouble our efforts to make products of the highest quality…” This is not an attempt to hide from competition, but rather a declaration to embrace it.
Competition forces innovation. Manufacturers must be innovative to be competitive. Technology is a path forward for many US manufacturers. This has long been the case – both in the past and for the future. The US is a technology leader – at the forefront of innovation and technical development.
This is certainly the case for Omega. Not only is Omega the only US manufacturer of interventional systems, the company is also the only manufacturer – US or global – that provides AI/ROI image-guided systems that dramatically reduce radiation exposure.
Omega is the first, and presently only, company in the world to develop and manufacture this leading-edge technology – technology that is proven to reduce radiation exposure to patients and staff beyond what is possible with conventional non-AI systems. Omega is disrupting the status quo in image-guided solutions.
Omega systems use AI image-guided technology that automatically tracks and collimates to the Region of Interest (ROI). With advanced image processing, Omega systems reduce radiation exposure by up to ~84% while delivering superior image quality.
Innovation was a path forward for Omega and can be for other US manufacturers. Embrace the global competition, meet it head on, and challenge it with superior technology. Create a new standard, one that obsoletes the competition.
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