Zekelman Industries launches “Life Reinforced” campaign to drive demand for domestic manufacturing

CHICAGO (September 2, 2020) — Zekelman Industries has launched a national advertising campaign advocating for increasing the level of manufacturing in the United States. Over the course of September and October, the campaign will generate an estimated 315 million impressions, reaching decision-makers and policy influencers who are outside of the brand’s typical target audience of distributors, contractors, building developers and manufacturers.

The campaign objective aligns purposefully with Zekelman Industries’ own corporate objective: to strengthen American communities by supplying steel products and building essential structures like multi-family and student housing faster, easier, cleaner and leaner, creating jobs in the process.

Job creation is a critical conversation topic in 2020, as the global pandemic made quick and severe impact on employment rates. But job loss, particularly in the manufacturing sector, is a long-standing trend Zekelman Industries has sought to reverse for decades. In the last 24 months, Zekelman Industries has invested in four factories in Blytheville, Arkansas; Birmingham, Alabama; Killeen, Texas; and Chandler, Arizona, representing more than $300 million in investment. These factories have created more than 400 steel-based manufacturing jobs, significantly impacting the communities in which they reside.

Steep decreases across both manufacturing sectors — 28.8% in durable goods and 27.6% in nondurable goods — made manufacturing the hardest-hit employment sector between 2000 and 2018. Considering this period of time coincides with China’s admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), many economic experts have come to share Zekelman Industries’ perspective that America is losing manufacturing jobs due not to advancements in technology but to poor trade deals and unfair trading practices.

The campaign, called “Life Reinforced,” aims to galvanize Americans inside and outside manufacturing sectors to understand the vital role manufacturing has in the economy and community. Increasing the level of domestic manufacturing and reshoring will help reverse unemployment trends, recreate self-sufficiency and repair communities in need. With localized billboards, online and print advertising in mainstream publications, and radio ads on 2,000 stations across 31 states, the “Life Reinforced” voice engages decision-makers directly with its “Make It Here” call to action, starting with an eight-page address to America’s C-suite in the September issue of Forbes.

“We can make a difference for people and communities in need. We just have to make it here,” says Zekelman Industries CEO Barry Zekelman. “We built this company and operate our 17 manufacturing locations on the belief that we all bear responsibility to ourselves, each other, our families and our local communities. We know from our own experience and economic studies that manufacturing jobs can lead to five or more additional jobs in the community. To make sure life goes on, even in the most challenging times, that’s what ‘Life Reinforced’ is all about.”

Zekelman Industries intends to carry this message of “Life Reinforced” long into the future.

—

About Zekelman Industries

Zekelman Industries includes the operating divisions of Atlas Tube, Picoma, Sharon Tube, Wheatland Tube, Western Tube and Z Modular. It is the largest independent manufacturer of hollow structural sections (HSS) and steel pipe, and the top producer of electrical conduit and elbows, couplings and nipples in North America. Through Z Modular, the company is a leading innovator in the off-site construction industry with capability to produce 10+ million square feet of multi-family residences annually. Zekelman Industries delivers a broad range of steel-based solutions that build its customers’ success.