U.S. Government to Help Big 3 Develop More Efficient Manufacturing Processes

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the United States Council for Automotive Research, an organization based in Southfield that

The new government body will be dubbed the United States Alliance for Technology and Engineering for Automotive Manufacturing, or U.S. A-TEAM. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

works with General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG, will oversee the government-business R & D program, dubbed the United States Alliance for Technology and Engineering for Automotive Manufacturing, or U.S. A-TEAM.

If it works, Michigan, and other states such as California, could maintain high-paying tech research and manufacturing jobs it is now losing to overseas markets. Michigan alone has witnessed 175,000 manufacturing jobs disappear since 2001.

While Chrysler has been making headway with its new 300 and Magnum, and Ford still dominates the full-size pickup truck market,

The basic idea of the U.S. A-TEAM is simple: improve manufacturing processes for Detroit's automakers. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

all are losing ground compared to the top Asian competitors. And there doesn't seem to be an end in sight for Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai's growth potential. Even BMW has been making solid gains, experiencing record sales month after month.

The U.S. government plans to curtail the Asian and European onslaught, without engaging in negative protectionist efforts. The idea is simple: improve manufacturing processes for Detroit's automakers. Automakers will be able to tap into the expertise of government agencies, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST lab specialists use new techniques to improve products and services all the time, and automakers can benefit from their experience and knowledge.