Yes, why did so many manufacturers move their production to China? I've talked with component distributors who helped their manufacturing customers shift to China. While it's hard to believe, they insist many of these manufacturers did not gain from the move. The distributor executives said it was a follow-the-crowd mentality that sent so much U.S. manufacturing overseas.
I hope that as companies move back American manufacturers understand what drove jobs overseas in the first place. The only thing that stinks more than making one mistake is not learning from it and making the mistake again.
In the case of manufacturing, it will be interesting to see if unions are part of the plan when jobs come back to the U.S. Or will manufacturers take such good care of their employees that unions won't really be necessary.
I hope that as companies move back American manufacturers understand what drove jobs overseas in the first place. The only thing that stinks more than making one mistake is not learning from it and making the mistake again.
In the case of manufacturing, it will be interesting to see if unions are part of the plan when jobs come back to the U.S. Or will manufacturers take such good care of their employees that unions won't really be necessary.
@Jmiller, The United States actually is becoming competitive again, due to a number of factors. Asian labor is becoming more expensive, U.S. plants are becoming efficient, and energy costs are increasing the price of shipping. Thus there is the beginning of a trend to manufacture goods close to their markets.
I disagree that the U.S cannot compete on the mass production platforms. The only thing worse than a low labor cost production line making one mistake is one that makes thousands of the same mistake a day because they do not have the knowledge to correct the issue. I really do believe American pride in workmanship can compete. Now what I don't know is if there is a CEO with the guts to try it.
Yes, George, I've been hearing from both manufacturers (TI for one) and component distributors (who know where their customers are moving) that there's a flow of manufacturers moving from Asia. There are a number of reasons -- for one, rising costs. The nascent trend is toward putting manufacturing near the market.
The US can't compete on a cheap mass production basis. I think we should instead be concentrating on high tech, unique products that can't be manufactured cheaper elsewhere. Also, we should be emphasising our attributes, precision manufacturing, instant feedback, short lead times and the creation of jobs in the US.
naperlouRE: These jobs can come back in an instant. Becuase they are contract jobs.....
The TV news in San Antonio yesterday reported that Caterpillar, who just recently built a plant in Seguine TX, is being investigated for UNDER minimun wage pay to (employees?). This problem continues to skew the numbers especially along our southern border with Mexico. One wonders if the "drug war" (sic) is not raelly the only thing in the comerce numbers we see that need to reassesed at this point in time.
That's the bottom line, George: Building out, in the U.S., a flexible manufacturing base. I believe that many mid- and high-level managers at major manufacturing companies want to do this and know it needs to be done to remain competitive. It's also the case that many of these companies are sitting on piles of cash. It's Wall Street's contraints which are keeping them from investing this money on planting infrastructure in the U.S.-- there's no return during the quarter in which the money is spent.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
0 
