Unclassified > Mixed Bag
Made in America
NightmarePatrol:
Well this article is not so much about things made here, but why one thing isn't. It's a long article, but it's very interesting.
lifefeedsonlife:
The comments section is interesting as well.
Jayhawk:
i like the matter-of-fact certainty of the statement that such jobs simply aren't coming back, no matter what.
the story really makes an impact and opens your eyes to the reality of things these days.
the reader comments are equally eye-opening. I agree both with the idea that another 60 bucks or whatever the figure would be a tiny price to pay if it meant iPhone manufacturing could move back here (which it still never will).
At the the same time, yeah, you don't have that kind of instant response/turnaround time over here because we long ago determined that it's not humane or sustainable in a civilized society to have what is effectively an enslaved workforce living in company housing and available around the clock on demand. Actually, that sounds like military service or prison work camps.
It's also hard to believe the efficiency and logistics of all this that i can order an apple laptop with custom configuration and 3 or 4 days later it arrives at my door in pennsylvania shipped from shanghai (this actually happened).
Puffin:
A very important point that is overlooked in this case is the Chinese government is an active partner in every aspect of the Chinese manufacturing. That involvement is massive govt spending.
The mindset in America today is that they dont want the govt in anything.
Obama mentioned where he didn't want to lose the green energy business without a fight.he's right! Were losing it to China, same as this cell phone business. Hell, Spain is smoking us on green tech.
NightmarePatrol:
Intel is building the largest most advanced semiconductor plant in the world in (I believe) Arizona right now. They are spending five billion to put the complex up. They of course are getting massive tax breaks to do this, otherwise it probably would have been on foreign soil. One of the biggest problems they will have have is finding employees with modern factory training to operate it. Granted, making semiconductors is a bit different than popping out toasters, but the number of qualified people that understand modern factories in the US is very low. It's like taking an office worker who was using a tape driven calculator and IBM Selectric typewriter in 1975 and putting them in todays office. They know what has to be done but they know nothing of the tools they are supposed to use to get it done. The US has a lot of retraining to do of we want the jobs brought back here. Every aspect of the American work culture from government to the worker is going to have to bend more than just a little to make this happen.
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