GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Associations representing thousands of tool, die, and industrial mold manufacturers throughout the United States today welcomed the release of a fact-finding study assessing the state of the country's tooling industries. The study, "Tools, Dies, and Industrial Molds: Competitive Conditions in the United States and Selected Foreign Markets," was conducted by the United States International Trade Commission ("ITC") at the request of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Spokespersons for the National Tooling and Machining Association ("NTMA"), the American Mold Builders Association ("AMBA"), the Tooling and Manufacturing Association ("TMA"), the Tool and Die Summit from northwest Pennsylvania, the Coalition for the Advancement of Michigan Tooling Industries ("CAMTI"), and D-M-E Company, a leading supplier to the mold building industry, expressed cautious optimism that the study would draw attention of federal and state lawmakers and Bush Administration officials and eventually lead to legislation or other action that would benefit these industries.

"While we obviously need an opportunity to review the report in its entirety, we believe the ITC's thoughtful and comprehensive study will serve to heighten awareness of the steady and continuous demise of the nation's critical tooling sector," said Dan Jepson, President of Jepson Precision Tool and a founding member of the Tool and Die Summit from northwest Pennsylvania. "In particular, we would like to thank Representative Phil English for his support of the tooling industries. We appreciate his effort in bringing about the study, and look forward to working with him to identify and implement comprehensive solutions to the issues confronting the tooling industries."

"I have had the opportunity and pleasure to work with numerous manufacturing sectors over the years, but none has come together and united so quickly and seamlessly behind a common goal as have the associations connected with this study," said Michelle Cleveland, Vice President of The Right Place economic development program of Greater Grand Rapids as well as Vice President of the Coalition for the Advancement of Michigan Tooling Industries ("CAMTI"). "I can only hope that this degree of unity and purpose, particularly from such a fragmented manufacturing sector, will not be lost upon those in Washington and state capitals across the country."

Matt Coffey, President of the National Tooling and Machining Association echoed Jepson's and Cleveland's remarks. "We believe the study can prove to be a very big and important step forward -- if the tooling associations and coalitions continue the collective and cooperative effort demonstrated to date. I believe we all recognize that if we fail to remain unified as associations and coalitions, we will ultimately be failing our respective members."