Internationalization of U.S. Manufacturing: Causes and Consequences

摘要

Confronted with an ever-increasing volume of foreign companies establishing manufacturing operations in the United States, and world-wide dispersion of skills and technology, U.S. manufacturing finds itself in a new, largely unfamiliar, competitive environment. The most obvious indications of internationalization are the growing importance of imports and exports in domestic manufacturing and the significant rise in foreign investment in the United States. Less obvious are the interdependent relationships being established across national borders linking the primary factors of production. The committee was asked to examine the responses of U.S. manufacturers to trends in international competition and to relate these competitive responses to current and potential government policies. The committee's report is intended to dispel misconceptions regarding the drivers of internationalization and, therefore, to improve the understanding of both the challenges and the opportunities of a global market and production base. The consequences of internationalization are described and the committee provides its assessment of what it takes to be successful as manufacturers and as a nation in the international competitive environment.