In my last column, we discussed how a shift in consumer behavior and the adoption of new technology are transforming the traditional supply chain. We learned that some manufacturers are making the complex move to cut out the middleman and ship their products direct to consumers (D2C) for increased profits and greater control over brand, price and customer data.

For years, manufacturers have depended on the middleman to distribute goods and get merchandise in front of customers.

In my last column, we looked at the reasons why U.S.-made products resonate with consumers. Studies found a preference for U.S.-made products when concerns about quality, safety and durability were high.

Studies show that Americans prefer U.S.-made products, and that this preference can help bring manufacturing back home. But can we turn consumer preference into purchases?

The United States, Canada and Mexico have reached a broad agreement on the "new NAFTA," the U.S.- Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).

President Trump is clearly controversial. However, all Americans should be able to unite in support of his effort to strengthen our skilled workforce.

More than 170,000 new U.S. manufacturing jobs were announced in 2017 as a result of either reshoring or foreign direct in-vestment (FDI). That's an increase of 52 percent from 2016 and an incredible 2,800 percent from 2010.

Numerous pundits have forecast that U.S. manufacturing will follow the path of agriculture: Automation will replace human workers and steal all of our jobs. It will be an automation doomsday. Clearly, returning jobs will be, on average, higher skilled and fewer in number than when the work was lost offshore years ago. However, in reality, automation is key to reshoring and thus to U.S. job growth.

In January, President Donald Trump traveled to Davos, Switzerland, to speak at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF). His message: "America is open for business."

The United States is facing a crucial workforce skills gap. For more rapid reshoring to take place, we need a more highly skilled and larger workforce.