In almost every town in Mexico, you will find at least one garish La Michoacana ice-cream parlour, a Mexican business success story, possibly as well known as Dunkin' Donuts is in the United States. But it is not a corporation, nor a brand, nor a franchise. It is a confetti of independent, family-owned ice-cream parlours.

When Mexico set up the first maquiladoras half a century ago, they were sweatshops that simply bolted or stitched together imported parts, then exported the assembled product north across the border to the United States. America got cheap goods; Mexico got jobs and export revenues. Now, with competition growing from other low-cost locations, and with the government cutting some of their tax breaks, the maquiladoras are having to step up their efforts to become innovative.

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing as it's often called, is not about to replace mass manufacturing. Even though the technology is improving, the finish and durability of some printed items can still fall short of what producers require.

In Guangdong province, where nearly 30 percent of China's exports are made, women usually far outnumber men on labour-intensive production lines. Rural women are hired for their supposed docility, nimble fingers and attention to mind-numbing detail. But in recent years Guangdong's workforce has changed.

Europeans have long pitied Americans for their rotten passenger trains. But when it comes to moving goods America has a well-kept freight network that is the most cost-effective in the world.