American Manufacturing Is Globally Competitive

American Manufacturing Is Globally Competitive: How competitive is American manufacturing? By the year 2020, the United States is projected to take the top spot in the Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index (GMCI), a multiyear research platform from Deloitte and the Council on Competitiveness.

Still Made in America: One Gear Maker Manufacturing in Maine

Still Made in America: One Gear Maker Manufacturing in Maine

Outsourcing manufacturing and exporting jobs are a sore spot for many Americans, however some companies find good reason to stay put or break new ground. This summer FOXBusiness.com's series 'Still Made in America' introduces us to a variety of companies keeping their production--and jobs--at home.

Why is Apple trying to move its manufacturing to the US?

Why is Apple trying to move its manufacturing to the US?:I know of two new plants in the USA by Apple now. (1) The Mac Pro plant and the (2) sapphire glass plant.

I'll focus on the Mac Pro, or computers in general, plants first. So far it has been reported that the plant relies on robots heavily. What could be reasons to set up plants utilizing robots in the USA?

• Robots produce as cheaply no matter whether they are located in the USA or China,
• it's expensive to move raw materials to China and assembled products back to the USA,
• to maintain whole plants consisting of robots you need very specialized workers, who could be easier to find in the USA,
• the robots itself may also become an valuable asset they would want to protect from competitors, which could be done easier in the USA,
• it's easier to rapidly test prototypes and new assembly processes when you're located near to the plant,
• as a secondary "nice-to-have" Apple can exploit the "made in USA" story and pretend to bring manufacturing back to the USA