Book Shelf: Keeping Your Business in the USA: Profit Globally While Operating Locally
This thin volume largely eschews the politics of offshoring and instead focuses squarely on how three U.S. manufacturers -- one small (Hamilton Caster), one mid-size (The Dupps Co.) and one large (Midmark Corp.) -- have succeeded in the global economy while keeping their production based in the United States.
The three companies are all family-owned, and while the products they manufacture are very different (casters, rendering equipment, medical equipment), they all share a common interest in remaining relevant and competitive as a U.S.-based manufacturer.
Each of the book's three main chapters offers a case study of how these companies do what they do, and several recurring themes emerge from their corporate histories: lean cultures; "voice-of-the-customer" initiatives; focus on team building; product innovation; and a willingness to adapt to changes in the marketplace by adding new offerings while selling off unprofitable product lines.
Underlying all of the company histories is a common trait: an insistence on metrics and rigorous self-assessment. To that end, the book closes with a "self-analysis" checklist designed to help manufacturing executives weigh exactly how well (or poorly) they are doing in seven key areas: leadership; financial management; strategy deployment; continuous improvement; listen, learn, understand and act; employee programs; and customer satisfaction.
By Tim Hutzel and Paul Piechota
CRC Press, 2012, 135 pages, $39.95
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