More than 125 members and affiliates of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) participated in the annual MEMA Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C.
The summit on April 30 and May 1 included MEMA’s four divisions: the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA); the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA); MERA – The Association for Sustainable Manufacturing; and the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA).
“As those in this room clearly know, automated and autonomous technologies, new fuel-efficiency technologies and dramatic shifts in the ways that consumers use, and even think about, mobility will fundamentally change our industry,” MEMA President and CEO Bill Long said in his opening remarks to a full audience. “Indeed, we have seen a lot of change. Our industry is built upon it. It defines us – our resilience, ingenuity and our vision. We are an industry prepared to realize our full potential. This change can be head-spinning. And yet, throughout MEMA’s long history, suppliers and our industry have been here before.”
Among the many changes and challenges that the supplier industry faces are new tariffs applied to steel and aluminum imports; tariffs on imports from China; and the renegotiation of the nearly 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Attendees participated in more than 130 meetings with legislators and Trump-administration officials, with the goal of helping them understand the impact of these and other issues as well as how decisions in Washington affect businesses across the country.
MEMA’s event in Washington has evolved into a valuable platform for industry dialog and advancing the business interests of the supplier industry. This year’s event included a town-hall discussion with former U.S. Reps. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Phil English (R-Pa.); a session on North American trade with Martha Bárcena Coqui, the ambassador of Mexico to the United States, and Kirsten Hillman, deputy ambassador of Canada to the United States; and Charlie Cook of the “Cook Political Report.”
