Page 15 - MetalForming November 2009

Gretchen Zierick and her father Russell pause during a walk through the firm’s plating depart- ment. “I’ve worked in nearly every area of the business at one time or another,” says Gretchen, “including spending several months running the plating department.” The department is critical to Zierick Manufacturing’s competitiveness: “We’re known for producing plated electrical components with excel- lent solderability,” says Gretchen.
Design and development of patentable electronics compo- nents is the lifeblood of the company says Zierick, and that responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of Janos Legrady (seated), vice president of research and development, and Frank Lynster, vice president of engineering. Its latest develop- ment, shown here, is a surface- mount insulation-piercing crimp terminal, and the Zierick press and tooling that quickly termi- nates a wire to surface-mount printed-circuit boards. The product earned Zierick the 2009 Higgins-Caditz Design Award from PMA.
to instill that philosophy at PMA, one of new ideas and new opportunities. All the while, she urges all who work in our industry to unite in support of her theme for the year: The Morality of Manufacturing.
Manufacturers March to a Moral Code
“There is a moral code among man- ufacturers in this country,” Zierick says, beginning to explain the thoughts behind her carefully crafted theme, “based on the honesty and integrity that permeates our industry. In manu- facturing we can’t get away with the lying, stealing and cheating we’ve seen in the banking, financial services and other industries. Manufacturers take raw materials and convert them into finished products that customers can test, see and feel, to prove their worth. To develop these products, you need an idea and an understanding of how to make it work. This to me is a moral endeavor, yet our industry often gets treated like the ‘bad guy’ by the media and by our politicians.”
What is it that manufacturing com- panies do right? Zierick reminds us that those who work in manufacturing use their minds to create products from ideas, all in the context of earning enough profit to support their employ- ees and drive the economy.
“America once stood for entrepre- neurship, capitalism and freedom, but now we’re being punished for doing what’s right,” Zierick says. “Manufactur- ing is the most moral way to make a liv- ing yet we’re treated as the greedy bad guy. Let’s eliminate some of the regula- tions and mandates that tie our hands and allow the free markets to decide the value of our services and products.
We earn our wages and profits, while it seems that so many out there do not.”
Strengthening the Foothold in Washington, D.C.
Zierick’s theme
dovetails well to
PMA’s long-term
commitment to lob-
bying our nation’s politicians, to make them understand the impact that their legislation has on our industry and its ability to compete in the global market. Manufacturing creates wealth and jobs, and PMA supports legislators that understand these principles as proven by their support of pro-manufactur- ing policies.
As part of her theme, Zierick urges all that work in manufacturing to follow PMA’s lead and support those politicians that support policies that encourage the growth of America’s small- to medi- um-sized manufacturing companies, by eliminating barriers to profitability.
“I want the leaders in our industry to think as individuals about their own philosophies and values and to start evaluating the system of beliefs of our politicians,” Zierick stresses. “Too many people react emotionally to the issues, rather than practically and morally, which can lead to a contradiction in beliefs. And, I see too many people trip- ping over these contradictions, which is
why our system is falling apart. Politi- cians often act irrationally, but as an industry we can present rational argu- ments that give us a better chance of enlightening them to the importance of manufacturing to America’s future.”
Lower Taxes,
Lower Energy Costs
Advocacy on behalf of pro-manufac- turing legislation is near and dear to Zier- ick, whose own personal involvement in lobbying traces back to the early 1990s and an opportunity to testify before Congress on the Clean Air Act. “After that experience in Washington, I looked for opportunities to get more involved in advocacy, and volunteered to par- ticipate on the PMA Government Rela- tions committee,” Zierick offers, “and have served on that committee ever since.”
During her term as PMA Chair and beyond, Zierick expects PMA’s advo- cacy efforts to help ensure that govern- ment actions do not put manufacturers
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