Once Made in the USA
America may be reaching a tipping point where we can’t get domestic manufacturing back up and running.
Louis Uchitelle | June 29, 2011

What is unusual about Liveris’ comments on the diminishing presence of manufacturing in America and his criticisms of the American government for letting that happen is that he is chairman of Dow Chemical Company, the giant multinational headquartered in Midland, Michigan. Unlike most of his fellow CEOs of U.S.-based multinationals, Liveris actively campaigns for more manufacturing in this country. In his new book, Make It In America: The Case for Reinventing the Economy, he argues that the United States is at a tipping point—if manufacturing does not make a comeback soon, the opportunity to do so will slip away, and the nation will inevitably lose its status as an economic powerhouse.

Yet under Liveris, Dow isn’t leading the charge back home. Sixty percent of its $58 billion in annual revenue comes from its factories overseas, and that is not likely to change unless the federal government gets more involved in supporting American manufacturing.

“Some call this industrial policy; I call it an advanced manufacturing plan,â€