American manufacturing

[Tempest]

Quote:

That you could state that there is no relationship between GDP and productivity

I said no such thing. YOU said: "you do realize that productivity - as its measured in GDP". Productivity is NOT measured by GDP total. Yet you claim that I have no economic knowledge? Nice. I used a simplified measure of productivity. There are various ways to measure productivity. All depends on what you are doing. http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/original-thinking/how-to-measure-productivity-30735 As for rich people, they typically are very productive because they provide the companies that provide us jobs and goods and services. If someone doesn't start a company, all that it might provide never happens. If they are not productive, they go out of business, and all the people that work for them loose their jobs as well. Productivity DOES provide us more time. If you have to walk or take a horse or drive a car...which gives you more time? If takes one hour to make something by hand or 5 min with a machine, which gives you more time? Increased productivity, and the wealth that comes from it, has ALLOWED the government to pay people to sit home and do nothing.

Quote:

I'm not even going to take a guess at what kind of fuzzy math you created to arrive at the 1/4 productivity measure that China will 'later' reach.

The same GDP / 4 times the population. Again, a very simplified measure of productivity.

 

[simple_gifts]

I worked in high tech manufacturing for > 10 years, and the competition from overseas wasn't that intense. Many of our production jobs machining airfoils for ground based turbine engines were sent to Poland and then quickly returned to the US. Our workforce in house was top-notch; we took bar stock and shipped finished airfoils utilizing only 1 or 2 outside vendors. We did our own engineering, inspection, tool design and mfg, FPI, cutter resharpening. Our shop floor CNC set up people were not college grads, but they easily navigated trig out on the floor, by far the most impressive 100 people I have ever worked with. NPR reports small shops are hiring. http://www.npr.org/2011/05/07/136084831/the-hottest-product-in-manufacturing-jobs I suspect the plug and chug jobs are the ones most likely going oversees. I worked from 1987-1999 in small job shops and there was general disregard from modern US culture about these types of jobs. Chances are when you climb on an aircraft, it wasn't built by chimps.

 

[Mr Nice]

from Dailyjobcuts.com Affinia brake-pad plant closing - 150 people laid off http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/article/533036--affinia-brake-pad-plant-closing-in-guelph “We’ve made the decision to close it to expand our global footprint,” Howat said. “We have opened up brake-pad manufacturing in India and China, and they have subsequently replaced that capacity globally, as we use those new facilities to fulfill our demand for brake pads worldwide.” I hate seeing news like this but what can the American worker do ?

 

[OVERKILL]

Not buying Affinia brake pads to voice your displeasure would be a start.

 

[PandaBear]

Unfortunately, for those laid off if they are near retirement age it would be likely early retirement. Those younger would probably need to switch career to something other than building brake pads, or move out of the area to other job hubs. I feel bad for them.