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Here in Freeport, on the fringes of the pittsburgh metro area, Oberg Industries is striving to hang onto its small share o-f the global economy. The familv- owned company, with 750 em- ployees and annual sales of about $l30 million, makes metal parts for a host ofproducts, in- cluding oil-production equip- ment and door locks.

Oberg is moving out of some markets where competition is based mainly on priie. For in- stance, the company recently sold a plant in Mexico where il -.19.

.doorknobs, competing with Asian manufacturers.-Ober! is putting more focus on highli pgulated markets, such as parti for medical devices and airiraft. Because quality standards are higher, there is less import com- petition, said Rich eartek,

Oberg's chief operating officer. Oberg recently bought an_

other robot to help sort out parts as they emerge from a stamping machine.It also has in_ vested in new computer-con_ trolled cutturg machines t}at are easier to program and run. One operator can handle four of these machines. ,In the old dayg it was one operato4 one pa- chine," Mr. Bartek said.

Manufacturers have long been ulder pressure from intensifying global competition, but tne aotl lar's sudden ascent adds more urgency. Since mid-20f4, the dol- lar is up nearly 19% against the eurq-and l7o/o against the yen.

"The challenge I gave io our team is use this as an opportu- nity to get more costs out of the company," said Ron DeFeo, chief executive of Terex Corp., a West-

port, Conn.-based rnaker of ltg"uy equipment, including aer- ial work platforms used tdhoist construction and maintenance workers. For instance, Terex is making more steel parts for some of its machines in China, where steel and labor ar. cheaper. The company is leaning on delivery firms to pass oi some of the savings they are get_ tmg trom lower fuel costs. Terex may also be able to shift some production of equipment to Eu- rope, where the weaker euro has reduced costs in dollar terms. _ Th9 rising dollar already has forced U.S. poultry companies to accept lower prices for dark chicken meat, popular in over- seas-markets, said Mke Cockrell, chief financial officer of Sander- yl fangs Inc., the third-largest U.S. poultry processor. Bdkleg

quarters ofchicker; a top export product that sold for 48 cents a pound in mid December, now are selling for 38 cents, Mr. Cockrell said. Chicken processors still can turn a profit on those prices, as along as sales of white tneat in the U.S. remain brisk. But if prices sink to very low levels, chicken processors may resort to selling frozen bags of dark meat in U.S. grocery stores at cut-rate prices, as they have done before.

Frime Equipment Group Inc., a Columbus, Ohiq maker of poultry-processiry! equipment, is using more Brazilian parts and materials for the products it sells in that country to help off- set the effects of a weak real. The company also is delaying re- patriation of profits from Brazil in the hope the real will regain value. "As long as the real

doesn't collaPse-a PossibilitY we'consider very remote-we can afford to wait," said Mike Gasbarro, chief executive.

Global giants like Caterpillar lnc. or Ford Motor Co.Iong have had plants around the world, re- ducing their exPosure to anY one crurency. Some smaller manufac- turers are trying to emulate that global approach.

Firstronic LLC, a Grand RaP- ids, Mich., maker of Printed cir- cuit boards used in cars and other products, serves its cus- tomers in North America mainlY with production from its Plants in Michigan and Mexico, said John Sammut, the CEO. It has set up joint ventures in the Czech Republic,India and China so it can produce circuit boards there as well, depending on cus- tomers'needs and currencY fac-

tors. For now, Firstronic is exPort-

urg from Michigan to EuroPe cir- cuit boards used to control car seats. If the dollar staYs strong, said Mr. Sammut, that Produc- tion could be moved to the Czech Republic. BY creating a global network of factories, "we have buffered ourselves from this issue," he said.

Ground Force Worldwide, a Post Falls, Idaho, maker of trucks used in mining, is com- mitted to manufacturing in the U.S. even though about 75o/o of. its sales ar'e in other countries, said Ron Nilson, owner and CEO. But he said the company can as- semble portions of its trucks, such as fuel tanks, overseas to reduce costs.

FirmGreen Inc., based in New- port Beach, Calif., a maker of equipment used to PurW biogas, is having to "scramble for solu- tions," said CEO Steven Wilburn. The company, which sells most of its equipment overseas, is being hit both by a strong dollar and bY the drop in oil prices, which de- ters investment in dternative en- erry sources. Mr. Wilburn said he has had to cut his staff to 10 Peo- ple from 17. FirmGreen relies on other U.S.-based comPanies to manufacture its equipment. Mr. Wilburn said he doesn't want to shift production to China bedause he fears losing his technological secrets to rivals. "PIus," he said, "I'm a patriot."

Woodward Inc., a maker of parts for aircraft and various types of engines, based in Fort Collins, Colo., is trying to helP some overseas customers cope with the currency swings. On some contracts, it includes clauses that adjust the Price of a large order dePending on cur rency movements, so that the two sides share the risk.

Bob Weber, chief financial of- ficer of Woodward, said the company could import more parts from countries with weaker currencies. But that is difficult in highly regulated mar- kets such as those for aircraft.

"It's extrernely hard to switch suppliers midstream," Mr. Weber said.