Dow outlines solutions for reviving U.S. manufacturing sector

The Dow Chemical Company on January 10 announced the official book launch of “Make It in America: The Case for Re-Inventing the Economy.”

Told through the voice of Dow chairman and chief executive officer Andrew N. Liveris, the book combines the best thinking on how to drive economic growth from Dow employees working in areas such as government affairs and public policy to legal, finance and R&D, with Liveris’ own perspectives and experience of running one of the world’s largest global companies. The result is a set of practical policy solutions and business strategies on how to reinvent and grow America’s manufacturing sector for the 21st century.

All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to The Dow Chemical Company Foundation, which serves Dow’s philanthropic needs by providing charitable gifts to eligible non-profit organizations that contribute to community success, support sustainability, foster science in society and stimulate innovation.

“American manufacturing is clearly at a crossroads,” Liveris said. “While manufacturing was once the lifeblood of U.S. economic growth, our country’s reduced manufacturing strength has played a role in a high unemployment rate, unsustainable federal and state spending and a massive – and growing – federal deficit. We as a country need to redefine what it means to say ‘built in the USA,’ and in so doing, reinvigorate the economic growth engine the manufacturing sector can be.”

Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million people in the U.S. and 6 million in related fields. In fact, no other sector performs more R&D, drives more innovation, exports as much or contributes more to our nation’s economy than the manufacturing sector.

Yet since 1990, the U.S. has lost 3 million manufacturing jobs – almost 20 percent. With these jobs went American leadership in many sectors, new research and development and too often, whole communities.

“America needs an integrated and strategic approach that will incentivize manufacturers to create the jobs of the future,” Liveris said. “The patchwork of incentives launched to address the recession has not turbo-charged the private sector growth engine of the world's largest economy. Many more permanent private-sector jobs are needed quickly, but unfortunately we see deep-rooted economic and policy headwinds that discourage good private job formation.”

“Make It in America” advocates how these issues can – and must – be addressed, and presents a clear path forward (Dow’s Advanced Manufacturing Plan for America) on national public policy issues including:

• New infrastructure
• R&D that’s cutting edge
• Education that leads the world
• A pro-trade policy that creates a level playing field with limited tariffs and barriers to entry
• An alternative energy strategy that will secure the abundant energy that industry needs to remain competitive
• Regulatory reform
• U.S. tax policies that support manufacturing – not mitigate against it
• Reform in civil justice needed to support advanced manufacturing and end lawsuit abuse

“America’s greatest, most productive and most prosperous days are not behind us, but ahead of us,” Liveris said. “Now is the time to take back our future.”

Published by the Wiley publishing house, the book is available at retail outlets beginning January 10, 2011, and is also available at online retailers.

About Dow
Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2009, Dow had annual sales of $45 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 214 sites in 37 countries across the globe.