NAM, Rep. Moore See Tax Wins on N.C. Factory Floors  

From textiles to water equipment to machine tools, Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC) got a firsthand look at how the 2025 tax law is translating into new investment, expansion and jobs during a recent NAM-hosted tour of three North Carolina manufacturers—thanks in part to his vote.  

What’s going on: Rep. Moore, an ardent supporter of H.R. 1, recently visited Seiren North America, Jim Myers & Sons and Okuma America with an NAM contingent, led by Executive Vice President Erin Streeter. Together, they saw how these companies are putting the 2025 tax law to work. 

• Seiren North America: At the automotive upholstery maker in Morganton, where materials are customized to automakers’ specifications, Rep. Moore saw the company’s textile manufacturing operations in action.  

• Jim Myers & Sons: At the 64-year-old water and wastewater equipment manufacturer in Charlotte, Rep. Moore saw the company’s in-house engineering, fabrication and testing capabilities, including equipment designed using 3D modeling and proprietary design software. 

• Okuma America: At the Charlotte-based CNC machine manufacturer, Rep. Moore toured the company’s technology showrooms, Global Repair Center and parts warehouse, learning how its “zero obsolescence” commitment helps customers maintain and service their machines throughout their operational lifecycles. 

In the news: Local Morganton news outlet The Paper joined the tour and interviewed Rep. Moore, Seiren leadership and Streeter about the tax law and other manufacturing priorities. The outlet covered the visit in a subsequent story. 

Why it’s important: The three manufacturers have benefited from H.R. 1’s tax provisions, including the restoration of full expensing for capital equipment purchases and immediate research-and-development expensing.  

• “[T]he faster deduction of R&D costs reduced our tax burden and freed up a substantial amount of cash for additional investment opportunities,” Seiren Executive Vice President Jeff Kale told The Paper during the tour of his company’s facility. “We get that money back sooner, and now we can take that and put it into the next investment plan for further expansion, improvement and automation.” 

• The impact was visible on the factory floor. For the multigenerational, family-owned Jim Myers & Sons, the tax law’s pass-through deduction, full expensing and estate tax provisions have supported reinvestment in its operations and the creation of new jobs. During the tour, Rep. Moore and the NAM saw a precision laser cutter the company was able to purchase thanks to the law’s expanded Section 179 expensing provision—a tangible example of how the tax law is helping manufacturers reinvest in their operations and workforce.  

• At Okuma America, full expensing and accelerated cost recovery are supporting continued investment in U.S. operations and customer support capabilities. The company recently invested in a new 35,000-square-foot Global Repair Center that expands its ability to provide component exchanges, repairs and upgrades, reinforcing its long-term commitment to manufacturing customers and equipment reliability. 

Permitting: Rep. Moore and Streeter also spoke with The Paper about another top manufacturing priority: permitting reform and what it means for North Carolina’s ability to meet growing energy demand and support its manufacturing sector. 

• “Energy demand increases more and more as we become more and more of a digital society,” Rep. Moore told The Paper. “We have to have it. And the only way you do that is to produce more power. [But] we’ve got some archaic rules that have been in place that have slowed down that process. We now have bills and executive actions that have taken place to make that easier.” 

• Added Streeter, “[M]anufacturers, while we produce and innovate in energy, are massively energy intensive. It takes a lot of energy to fuel the facility here. So [permitting reform] is at the top of our list because we’ve got to have it to be able to run our facilities every single day.” 

USMCA: At Seiren, Rep. Moore also heard about the importance of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement to manufacturers in the North American automotive supply chain, with leaders emphasizing that the agreement has helped create jobs in the United States. 

The bottom line: If H.R. 1 had not passed, Streeter told the newspaper, “there would have been 31,000 jobs lost in this district and 184,000 here in North Carolina.” 

Learn more: Check out the NAM’s tax advocacy here, including its new “Manufacturing Tax Wins Across America” flipbook, featuring 50 success stories from 50 states that show how manufacturers are putting H.R. 1’s permanent pro-growth tax provisions to work.