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 Manufacturers' Most Challenging Problems" Machines Italia conference in Plymouth, Michigan on June 21, 2012.

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 healthy. This is the message he left with attendees at a strategy session conference held yesterday, sponsored by Industry Week magazine and the Italian Trade Commission, and held at The Inn at St

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 our economic health and to our growth." In 2011, U.S. exports totaled a record $2.1 trillion and represented more than 50% of the economic growth of the United States, Perez told manufacturers at the "Fast Forward

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 Manufacturing , three years ago as a continuous-improvement system focused on all plant processes, including safety, maintenance and quality. As an offshoot of the program, Chrysler opened in January a learning