Managing Automation - August 2008 - (Page 26)

I N T E R N AT I O N A L T R A D E LEVELING THE FIELD Fed up with trade policies that they see as stacking the deck against them, U.S. manufacturers are looking to the next administration for truly fair trade. BY CHRIS CHIAPPINELLI e’re not ready to give up, Mr. President. Some have written us off, saying the U.S. manufacturing base is headed for extinction. We’re too costly, too slow. But we’re still here. We’re still hungry. And, in the words of Mark Twain, reports of our death are greatly exaggerated. All we need from you, Mr. President, is some help evening the odds. That is one of the dominant messages of a recent Managing Automation/Thomas Publishing Co. poll of more than 2,000 employees of U.S.-based industrial companies. According to the study, which covered a broad swath of manufacturing industries and job functions, 81% of respondents want the U.S. government to help “level the playing field” against foreign competitors in countries such as China, Korea, and India. U.S. manufacturers see the issue of trade in contrasting lights, according to the hundreds of comments generated by the survey. Many agree in principle with the concept of free trade, but countless others see a deck that is stacked against them, as manufacturers in other countries take advantage of weak business regulations, sizable government subsidies, and cheap labor to export low-cost goods to the United States. Four out of five respondents think the next administration should act to level that proverbial playing field. One shining example of such leveling was the recent action taken by the U.S. International Trade Commission against Chinese manufacturers of steel pipe. In what some have called a watershed moment in trade relations with China, the commission ruled that the United States can assess import duties of as much as 616% on steel pipe originating in China, since strong subsidies in that country have unfairly lowered costs for indigenous manufacturers there. American manufacturers roundly applauded this show of assertiveness, but it represents a solitary life raft on a vast ocean. The overwhelming majority of U.S. manufacturers believe their government has favored foreign competitors over its own manufacturing base, and they want the next administration to bring more balance to global trade. The U.S. trade deficit states their case simply: America is becoming ever more dependent ma 26 2008 August

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - August 2008

Managing Automation - August 2008 Contents Take 1 After 18 Months, the Oracle/SAP Suit Has Little Effect on Maintenance Sales At 100, Foxboro Reinvents Around Its Customers New Private Equity Firm Eyes Software A Software Suite Just for Manufacturers i2 Chief Focuses on Services Plan Notes It's Time for Action Examining U.S. Competitveness Leveling the Field An Unhealthy Situation Exploring Alternatives Math and Science: Key to the Future Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - August 2008

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