I was invited to the White House as a representative of small- and medium-sized businesses for a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden to discuss administration plans to revitalize manufacturing in America. It coincided with the launch of the administration's new manufacturing agenda, which states in part:

"In today's increasingly competitive global marketplace, manufacturing activities will be undertaken by private actors who will locate their factories where total all-in cost is the lowest .... Fundamentally, if we want to capture the positive benefits from a vibrant and thriving manufacturing sector, the government must help to create a competitive business climate."

As a small manufacturer, I couldn't agree more. Here are four initial steps toward revitalizing manufacturing:

• Understand the cost structure of the manufacturing sector: First, the government should gather a more sophisticated understanding of manufacturing-sector dynamics, particularly regarding small and medium-size companies like mine. I'm on the Manufacturing Council and strongly support the council's recommendation to conduct an ongoing international cost and competitiveness analysis to identify all areas where we are at a competitive disadvantage with companies overseas.

The analysis will allow us to take fact-based steps to improve our competitiveness. Without a strategic rethinking of how to help manufacturing, it will continue to shrink each year.

• Address the credit crisis in manufacturing: A problem threatening recovery is the unprecedented difficulty small businesses such as manufacturers face accessing bank loans for operations or investment.

Small companies in our business must purchase substantial amounts of raw materials. Often, full payment for our deliveries takes up to six months, longer in some sectors.

Without timely credit, companies can stay in financial limbo for months. The administration's initiative to channel unspent Troubled Asset Relief Program funds through community banks for small business loans is a potentially productive way to get us credit.

• Address our global trade imbalance: On this point, the Manufacturing Council's recommendations could not be more clear: "The greatest opportunity for eliminating our trade deficit is through correcting trade imbalance with China, [which] now accounts for more than 40 percent of the overall trade deficit and more than 60 percent of the trade deficit in manufacturing." Currency manipulation must be halted as well as subsidies to foreign manufacturing firms and barriers to U.S. exports.

• Incentivize manufacturing in America: American manufacturers are burdened with costs that put them at a global disadvantage. When Congress increases taxes on higher income brackets, these tax increases apply to our companies because of their structure.

The current health care system is drowning small businesses with skyrocketing costs, yet the health care bills drafted by the House and Senate contained a variety of tax increases on small businesses, from payroll taxes to an excise tax on health insurance plans.

The administration's manufacturing agenda marks an important first step, but it requires follow-through from Congress and the White House.

We must help small manufacturers become more cost competitive with overseas firms.

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