Dow Chemical Making it in America

[xchrom]

http://www.economist.com/node/18929108

“THE remarkable juxtaposition of American heartland, Midwest values and a whole lot of foreign accents” is what makes Midland, Michigan, a beacon of hope for the country’s manufacturing sector, reckons Andrew Liveris. His is one of those accents, though he no longer sounds crocodile-wrestlingly Australian. The boss of Dow Chemical has lived on and off for years in the company town that grew up around the brine wells that Herbert Dow first tapped in 1897 for his pioneering electrolysis process. The chemical firm still employs 5,500 of the town’s 42,000 inhabitants. (The second-biggest employer is Dow Corning, a silicone-making joint venture.) Dow’s success has delivered the nice homes, good schools and ball parks that make up the American Dream.

Like many immigrants, Mr Liveris shares that dream. But he now fears it is under threat. He has become one of the leading voices calling on the American government to embrace industrial policy. Last July Dow launched a plan to revive American manufacturing, which Mr Liveris then expanded into a book, “Make It In America”. On June 24th President Barack Obama appointed him co-chair of a new “Advanced Manufacturing Partnership” that brings together government, academia and business to “build a roadmap” for a more competitive manufacturing sector.

Mr Liveris is not arguing for protectionism. (Dow Chemical earns two-thirds of its revenues abroad.) On the contrary, he wants America to retake the lead in toppling trade barriers. But he does want the government to develop a strategy to help American firms compete with foreign rivals. Other countries are acting like companies, he worries. China and its imitators are following deliberate strategies to create manufacturing jobs. America should behave like a company, too, he argues.







*** a corporate welfare queen as far as i'm concerned.

[Demeter]

1. Yeah, leave the pollution in Michigan

all those lakes make great, cheap sewers.

[xchrom]

2. +1

[MineralMan]

4. Without an industrial base, we are severely handicapped.

Pollution problems can be solved and prevented. Lost jobs are a larger problem.

We have abandoned many industries in this country or effectively prohibited them, and it has been to our detriment. Not everyone can work as a Linux consultant, I'm afraid.

Shifting industrial environmental impacts to other parts of the planet is not the solution. It only delays the destruction we can see. Instead, we need to have an industrial base and minimize such impacts. The third world and China are not valid dumping grounds for our industrial waste.

[Brickbat]

3. He does have a point. It's a crime that this country doesn't have a strong industrial policy.

[xchrom]

5. I don't disagree w/ that.

But Dow chemical is probably the recipient of a lot of government write offs & what's left out is how much advantage have they taken of off shoring?

[roxiejules]

6. Don't agree with the need for more work visas

"He also thinks America should try harder to attract foreign talent. A good start, he points out, would be to issue more work visas. Over 1m jobs in science and technology will open up in America this year, but only 200,000 new graduates will have the skills to fill them, he calculates. That is why chemical engineers are among the best-paid new graduates."




No Shortage of U.S. Engineers - America is turning out plenty of science and engineering grads, a university study concludes:
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2009/db20091027_723059.htm

[xchrom]

7. +1