Many OEMs lament that the U. S. economy is treading water. It could be worse. Consider the situation in the Euro zone, which is mired in a recession and facing unemployment above 11%, a debt crisis, and nagging questions about the future of its currency. Despite the turmoil, Italian machine builders are holding their own, according to data from UCIMU, the Italian machine-tool association. Production and exports for the group rose at double-digit rates last year and, while recent orders have declined, the association still predicts export sales for 2012 will be up 12.3%. The Italian machine

Becoming More Globally Competitive Mr. Perez, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services at the International Trade Administration, details the programs and policies that the ITA has implemented to strengthen U.S. manufacturers' global competitiveness and to enhance U.S. exports. This presentation was filmed at the "Fast Forward: Strategies for Solving Manufacturers' Most Challenging Problems" Machines Italia conference in Plymouth, Michigan on June 21, 2012.

Achieving Manufacturing Excellence Across the Globe Mr. Mauro Pino discusses how Chrysler shares, leverages, and sustains world-class manufacturing processes -- to reduce waste, increase productivity, and improve quality and safety in a systematic and organized -- across multiple, geographically dispersed facilities.

Solving the Challenge of: Building an Eco-Sustainable Business Strategy: A leader in building a sustainable business by developing eco-sustainable products, FEDERMACCHINE's outgoing President, Mr. Giancarlo Losma addresses the business imperative of transitioning your business to become more environmentally sustainable. He presents new technologies and new approaches to developing sustainable products, from the initial stage of design, choice of raw materials and appropriate production systems to product development, its disposal at the end of its life span and the recycling and re-use of the

If you rely on the mainstream news media to help you assess the U.S. economy’s health, Alan Beaulieu wants to bring you out of your depression. As president of ITR Economics, which regularly analyzes the GDP health of developed and developing countries, he suggests you put your crying towel away and buy yourself something. And if you have to borrow money, do it—as long as your company’s fiscally healthy. This is the message he left with attendees at a strategy session conference held yesterday, sponsored by Industry Week magazine and the Italian Trade Commission, and held at The Inn at St

When Peter Perez began his career in manufacturing four decades ago, companies had competitors across town or in their own state, but typically not outside the United States. Now, says Perez, deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing in the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, the competition is overseas. As a result, exports are "increasingly important to our economic health and to our growth." In 2011, U.S. exports totaled a record $2.1 trillion and represented more than 50% of the economic growth of the United States, Perez told manufacturers at the "Fast Forward

PLYMOUTH, MICH. -- A key to Chrysler Group's return to profitability is a plant performance improvement program developed by parent company Fiat SpA (IW 1000/87) , said Mauro Pino, the company's head of World Class Manufacturing at the Machines Italia manufacturing 3.0 conference in Plymouth, Mich., Thursday, June 21, 2012 Chrysler first implemented Fiat's program, called World Class Manufacturing , three years ago as a continuous-improvement system focused on all plant processes, including safety, maintenance and quality. As an offshoot of the program, Chrysler opened in January a learning

Tens of thousands of engineers and technical managers from across Europe gathered in Northern Italy last month for a series of events loosely termed Technology Exhibition week. These included Fluidtrans Compomac (fluid power), Mechanical Power Transmission and Motion Control, Plast (plastics and plastics-processing machinery), Xylexpo (woodworking machinery) — all held in Milan — and Lamiera (metal-forming equipment), held in Bologna. Widespread interest in Italian components, machines, and technology belies the country’s current economic conditions. It’s no secret that Italy is caught up in