Defending the Nation: Crucial Role of Aluminum Extrusions in the National Security
Aluminum extrusions often go unnoticed but play a vital role in ensuring the strength and readiness of America’s armed forces. Aluminum extrusions are lightweight yet strong and do not corrode or rust. That makes them indispensable to a range of military applications.
One of the major players in supplying aluminum extrusions to the defense industry is Taber Extrusions, which makes essential components for ships, weapons, armored vehicles, and other military necessities such as containers for missiles. Taber makes flight and hangar decks on Navy combat ships and the jet-blast deflectors that help give fighter planes enough speed to launch from aircraft carriers.
In addition, Taber produces thick extrusions nearly 30 inches wide to make quick, often-temporary landing strips anywhere in the world. Military vehicles and their heavy-duty suspensions also are fortified with Taber’s extruded aluminum components.
National defense constitutes a substantial portion of Taber’s business, comprising 50 percent of its sales in a good year. Like many suppliers Taber’s financial viability depends on a mix of defense and non-defense business. Its non-defense products are being harmed by foreign imports.
Low-priced imports have led to declining business at Taber that is threatening the entire enterprise. The American military and the citizens it protects would be the losers if military suppliers like Taber had to close or scale back because their nonmilitary sales faltered, leaving it dependent on foreign sources for equipment essential to national security
Chuck Stout, the President of Taber, identified unfair foreign trade as the main reason for the company’s 30 percent decrease in nonmilitary sales at one of its two factories. “It is a serious threat to our facilities,” said Stout, who is worried that he may be forced to scale back capacity if minimum volumes cannot be maintained.
Stout said that without domestic suppliers like Taber, the Pentagon would face serious challenges maintaining its access to military-grade extrusions. Without a secure, domestic supply chain, the defense industry’s readiness to respond to security demands around the world would be compromised.
Other aluminum extruders manufacture components for military equipment as well. Alexandria Industries of Minnesota, for example, makes components for weaponry, navigation and guidance systems for national defense purposes, Steve Schabel, Alexandria’s President, said. The company is working with other American extruders to persuade the federal government to address unfair imports.
The risk posed by unfair trade on the U.S. aluminum extrusion industry is not just a concern for companies like Taber Extrusions. It is a nationwide concern that could lead to serious damage to the American military and national security.
