Business Operations

Manufacturers Add Industry Expert Amid Fight for Permitting and Regulatory Reform

By NAM NewsroomApril 5, 2023
The Siemens Charlotte Energy Hub - the company’s worldwide hub for 60Hz fossil power generation equipment manufacturing and service, with additional capabilities for the 50Hz market. Opened in 1969, the facility has manufactured and serviced generators and steam turbines for the power generation market for decades. In November 2011 the facility was expanded, adding gas turbine production and service capabilities. The new gas turbine facility was designed based on LEAN manufacturing principles and U.S. LEED Gold building standards, making it the most advanced gas turbine production plant in the world. The addition of the gas turbine facility, as well as other improvements and expansions on the site, represent a $350 million total investment and nearly 1,000 additional jobs. With its current workforce of 1,500 and approximately 1.2 million square feet of space under roof, Siemens is the largest manufacturer in the city and the second largest in terms of employment among the 250+ energy companies based in Charlotte, NC. Advanced gas turbines Our advanced gas turbine operation has the following core competencies: Combustion Components Compressor Components Rotor Manufacturing Engine Assembly The operation features cellular manufac- turing design with full machining capa- bilities from forged component to fully assembled products. Components up to 275 MW are machined to tolerances of less than a thousandth of an inch in some cases. Advanced technologies include diffusion bonding and effusion laser drilling. Nearly all machines, including those used in the manufacture of generators and steam turbines, have Siemens 840D controls on our large lathe and horizontals. Steam turbines Our steam turbine operation has the following core competencies: Turbine Rotors Turbine Stationaries Valve Components Valves The steam operation has the capability to address the needs for new unit, modernization and service of high- pressure, intermediate-pressure and low-pressure turbines fo

Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers has announced Brandon Farris as its new vice president of energy and resources policy.

“Brandon joins the NAM at a pivotal time in our country and for our industry,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Manufacturers across the United States face regulatory challenges that affect their ability to do what they do best: transform and deploy modern technologies to protect the environment, while creating jobs and strengthening the economy. Commonsense regulatory and permitting reform, along with energy security, are needed now more than ever. Brandon’s experience and expertise will help manufacturers accomplish these critical goals.”

Before joining the NAM, Farris was the head of federal government relations for The Chemours Company, where he played an integral role in securing passage of the AIM Act, designed to phase out refrigerants that contribute to climate change. He worked closely with the NAM to help secure bipartisan ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol during the 117th Congress. Along with these and other major legislative accomplishments, he was honored as a 2022 top lobbyist by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics.

Previously, Farris served as assistant general counsel for Arkema as well as senior counsel for government relations for the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation. After serving in the Marine Corps Reserve, he began his career in Washington as a Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellow at the George Washington University School of Law while working on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.

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The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.81 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 55% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.