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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAn article from 2013 about American textile mills re-opening
This is pretty relevant to the current focus on trade and globalization:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/business/us-textile-factories-return.html?pagewanted=all
...
But as manufacturers find that American-made products are not only appealing but affordable, they are also finding the business landscape has changed. Two decades of overseas production has decimated factories here. Between 2000 and 2011, on average, 17 manufacturers closed up shop every day across the country, according to research from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
Now, companies that want to make things here often have trouble finding qualified workers for specialized jobs and American-made components for their products. And politicians promises that American manufacturing means an abundance of new jobs is complicated yes, it means jobs, but on nowhere near the scale there was before, because machines have replaced humans at almost every point in the production process.
Take Parkdale: The mill here produces 2.5 million pounds of yarn a week with about 140 workers. In 1980, that production level would have required more than 2,000 people.
Warpy
(111,480 posts)The old noisy shuttle machines that used to deafen people by the time they turned 40 are too slow to compete in today's market.
It's probably a good thing they were sold for scrap when mills here closed.
KT2000
(20,609 posts)American manufacturing is if we would return shabbily made products to the store where we buy them. Right now a lot of those costs are being eaten by the consumers who do not return bad products that were made overseas. Quality control is the weak link in overseas manufacturing. American consumers are allowing them to get away with it.
littlewolf
(3,813 posts)which is great, (where I live there are 3 mills that are shut down)
one is being turned into condos.
maybe vo tech can teach the skills
to run and fix the new equipment.
FreakinDJ
(17,644 posts)These news stories pop up every year or so.
And the only answer is import cheaper labor