America’s manufacturing sales stagnated at the $4 trillion mark in the late 1990s. But then something surprising happened. America started selling again—finding more customers for tractors, steel, plastics, knives and medicines than ever before. Manufacturing sales hit a record $5 trillion in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau
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“Our biggest advantage is manufacturing in the United States,”
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“If Circuit City wants more of a certain set in three weeks, we couldn’t possibly do it from Asia,” Sollitto says. Shipping the televisions and maneuvering them through customs would consume a month or more. “The most important thing in electronics is execution and speed,” he says. “You have to bring ideas to market when they’re hot, and stay ahead.”