August 4, 2010
LANSING, Mich. - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that a collaborative approach among business, labor and government is needed for advanced manufacturing to stay and grow in Michigan and the United States.
"The auto industry is growing stronger again, and the work of the Obama administration, the auto companies and the UAW is paying off," Granholm said. "All of this is happening because the auto companies, labor and government are working together to find mutually-beneficial solutions and innovative approaches to moving the industry forward."
The governor made her remarks at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefing Seminar in Traverse City where top officials from global automakers and suppliers are meeting this week.
Granholm said new leadership in the American auto industry has companies making major new investments in advanced batteries, electric vehicles and green chemistry and that the UAW is now a key partner on employee training, lean processes and first-rate quality.
"The essential third partner with business and labor is government," Granholm said. "Government at all levels, from federal to state to local, has a role to play. Government must help make the business case to companies why Michigan and the United States are where they need to be."
"We have come too far from the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies of just over a year ago to risk stumbling and falling back," Granholm said. "Strong partnerships among government, business and labor are clearly the way forward."
The Center for Automotive Research and members of its affiliates program presented Granholm with a special award for her contributions to the automotive industry. The award recognizes the governor for her work during the automotive crisis, her role in securing federal support for the industry from the Bush and Obama administrations, her leadership in securing and growing Michigan's automotive research, development and manufacturing endowment, and her vision in bringing the next generation of automotive technology and advanced energy storage businesses to the state.
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