One of the big success stories of Texas manufacturing, Plastic Molding Technology (PMT; El Paso, TX) Inc. took the opportunity during a visit from U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Aug. 24 to showcase the plastics industry and voice concerns affecting manufacturing.

Framing the visit around the importance of trade and the need for tax reform, CEO Charles A. Sholtis started the meeting by calling for a “do no harm” approach to NAFTA and expressing the vital role of the El Paso Borderplex region to manufacturing in the United States, said a news release from PMT.

“Texas is ranked first in the nation for plastics industry employment, and first in the nation for plastics industry shipments,” Sholtis commented. “To keep manufacturing thriving, we need to modernize NAFTA while keeping it effective for export-focused businesses like PMT.”

PMT held several events during the senator’s visit, starting with an Executive Roundtable Session, where manufacturing leaders from both sides of the U.S./Mexico border were invited to voice their concerns. The roundtable covered pressing topics for El Paso small business owners, including healthcare reform, the renegotiation of NAFTA and the importance of free trade, tax reform, U.S. manufacturing, intellectual property safeguards and investment in workforce development.

Sen. Cruz, whose team requested the visit to PMT, discussed his efforts to expand economic opportunity and create more good-paying jobs for Texans.

“It’s an honor to visit with the hardworking men and women here at Plastic Molding Technology,” Sen. Cruz said. “My number-one priority is very simple: It is jobs, jobs, jobs. And the reason is because that is the number-one priority of Texans. In every part of our state, Texans want more jobs, more opportunity, higher wages and a better future for our kids. And the way you get more jobs, higher wages and more opportunity is by simplifying and reducing the burdens of taxes and regulations on small businesses and job creators.”

PMT also hosted a factory tour, highlighting its modern manufacturing facility and showcasing robotics, additive manufacturing and highly technical injection molding processes. The senator held a town hall with PMT employees, who were able to ask questions and express their concerns.

PMT provides single-source solutions from design engineering, prototyping and mold sourcing to manufacturing, assembly and just-in-time delivery. The company operates on a 24/7 schedule, running 59 injection molding machines ranging from 40 to 500 tons, producing more than 150 million parts annually. More than half of all presses are all-electric models. Strategically located in El Paso, PMT is well positioned to serve maquiladora (twin) plants in Mexico.