LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. and WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – On Monday, American manufacturer Klein Tools brought its innovative U.S.-made products to the White House as part of its “Made in America Product Showcase,” which features American-made products from 50 companies representing their home states.
President Donald J. Trump’s event, with a smorgasbord of American goods, came at the start of a week in which trade discussions are expected to dominate, including talks with European officials and a trip to Illinois in which the president is planning to visit a community helped along by his steel tariffs.
Trump has vowed to force international trading partners to bend to his will as he seeks to renegotiate a series of trade deals he has long argued hurt American workers. But as he deepens the U.S. involvement in trade fights, it raises questions on whether American consumers will feel the pain of retaliatory tariffs—and whether the president will incur a political price for his nationalistic trade policies in the 2018 midterm elections.
“Our leaders in Washington did nothing, they did nothing. They let our factories leave, they let our people lose their jobs,” Trump said at the White House. “That’s not free trade, that’s fool’s trade, that’s stupid trade and we don’t do that kind of trade anymore.”
Klein Tools was invited by President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, members of the Administration, and White House staff to represent Illinois at this year’s event due to the company’s ongoing commitment to manufacturing tools and supporting jobs in the United States.
“We’re honored to be invited to the White House’s ‘Made in America Product Showcase’ and to represent the great state of Illinois,” says Tom Klein, Sr., chairman of Klein Tools. “My great-great-grandfather founded Klein Tools in Chicago over 160 years ago, and we continue his legacy of manufacturing tools right here in the United States. In fact, no other manufacturer of hand tools used in electrical applications makes more items in America than Klein Tools.”
Founded in 1857, Klein Tools’ commitment to American manufacturing runs deep – with eight facilities in six states, including its corporate office and world-class forging facility in suburban Chicago, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing headquarters in Mansfield, Texas.
“Over the past seven years, Klein Tools has invested over $200 million in our U.S. manufacturing facilities,” Klein says. “Providing American-made products not only supports our corporate values, it also allows us to maintain the quality that the professionals who use them every day rely on. That’s why we try to keep our manufacturing as close to home as possible, while delivering only the highest-quality products.”
To combat the nationwide skills gap and attract new talent to the fields that use Klein Tools products every day, the company partners with and donates to multiple organizations that provide training for aspiring tradespeople.
“We are proud not only to be part of driving awareness and support for the American manufacturing industry, but also for the skilled trades as a whole,” Klein continues. “We put a lot of resources behind encouraging and training the next generation to enter the skilled trades through our support of technical schools and universities that provide manufacturing, engineering and CNC machining curriculums.
“We are proud to be an American manufacturer that not only supplies tradespeople with quality products, but also is doing its part to support the next generation of America’s skilled workforce.” View videos of Klein’s “Forged in America” series on tED TV.
Klein added, “With more American tradespeople, the stronger America will be.”
Portions of this article copyright 2018 The Associated Press.
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