Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical, warns that the United States is heading for a dismal future if it does not wake up to global realities and rally to save manufacturing. In speeches, interviews, op-eds and a new book titled Make It in America: The Case for Re-Inventing the Economy, the Australian-born chemical engineer is urging Americans to re-think their country's approach to manufacturing, government intervention and economic growth.
Manufacturing, he noted, is no longer about producing textiles and tennis shoes, or smokestacks and steel. Today, when other countries think of manufacturing, they think of advanced manufacturing: "They think semiconductors, solar and photovoltaics. They feel the power of manufacturing. Countries are creating wealth, true value, by investing in highly specialized manufacturing sectors."
The United States, in contrast, is standing by idly as it loses manufacturing jobs to overseas competitors, according to Liveris. Unless Washington can develop a coherent long-term strategy, the United States will lose not just its factories but its ability to innovate as well, he argued. Government and business need to work together to renew America's manufacturing industry and secure its future.
