As U.S. furniture manufacturers revamp domestic production after more than a decade of offshoring, they need help implementing state-of-the-art assembly lines. Many of those companies are seeking assistance from the Franklin Furniture Institute at Mississippi State University.
BENTON HARBOR, MI—Whirlpool Corp. is moving production of its commercial front-load washing machines from Monterrey, Mexico, to Clyde, OH. Approximately 80 to 100 new jobs will be created in Clyde during the next three years to support the relocation.
BEIJING—Apple Inc. supplier Pegatron Corp. began using facial recognition technology to screen applicants for its iPhone assembly plant, illustrating how some companies are guarding against the growing problem of underage workers making their way into factories in China.
ELWOOD, KS—Pro-Dig LLC, which makes industrial drilling equipment, is closing its manufacturing operation in China and building a $5 million assembly plant here.
WASHINGTON—NCR, All-Clad Metalcrafters, Master Lock, Peerless Industries, and Ford Motor Co. are among a growing number of manufacturers that are shifting certain manufacturing operations from China to the United States.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA—Trident Case, which makes cases for mobile electronics, plans to move 50 percent to 75 percent of its manufacturing operations from China to southern California in 2014.
BEIJING—Electronics manufacturer Foxconn has admitted that student interns worked overtime and night shifts at a factory in northeast China in violation of company policy.
BEIJING—Young people in China don’t want to work in factories, they want to work in services or at Internet companies, says Terry Gou, CEO of contract manufacturer Foxconn.
U.S. manufacturers that source low-cost components offshore often face several challenges. Among the most common are language barriers, lack of timely responses, long lead times and problems with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Another problem is receiving a perfect prototype initially—followed by subsequent shipments of poor-quality parts.