Becoming More Globally Competitive Mr. Perez, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services at the International Trade Administration, details the programs and policies that the ITA has implemented to strengthen U.S. manufacturers' global competitiveness and to enhance U.S. exports. This presentation was filmed at the "Fast Forward: Strategies for Solving…

If you rely on the mainstream news media to help you assess the U.S. economy’s health, Alan Beaulieu wants to bring you out of your depression. As president of ITR Economics, which regularly analyzes the GDP health of developed and developing countries, he suggests you put your crying towel away and buy yourself something. And if you have to borrow money, do it—as long as your company’s fiscally…

When Peter Perez began his career in manufacturing four decades ago, companies  had competitors across town or in their own state, but typically not outside the United States. Now, says Perez, deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing in the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, the competition is overseas. As a result, exports are "increasingly important to…

PLYMOUTH, MICH. -- A key to Chrysler Group's return to profitability is a plant performance improvement program developed by parent company Fiat SpA (IW 1000/87) , said Mauro Pino, the company's head of World Class Manufacturing at the Machines Italia manufacturing 3.0 conference in Plymouth, Mich., Thursday, June 21, 2012 Chrysler first implemented Fiat's program, called World Class…