4 ms·
I'd like to consider the general atrophy on a macro scale of the manufacturing capabilities in the US. My theory is that because we outsourced the making of so
by siculars 9y ago
I'd like to consider the general atrophy on a macro scale of the manufacturing capabilities in the US. My theory is that because we outsourced the making of so many things to so many other places (China), we generally lost the skills necessary to make things. Not to say that really advanced things aren't actually made in the US. It is more to say that the general population of able bodied workers do not have the skills and knowledge their ancestors did when it came to working in a factory. It is that actual work - the day in day out grind - that fosters innovation. Other comments point out that the Tesla factory is generally staffed with ex-Toyota folks. Why is that? Because Toyota has been pushing the envelope in Japan making all kinds of interesting things and developing a mentality of manufacturing innovation all along the way.
Thoughts?
- projektfu 9y agoIt was formerly a Toyota plant, well, a GM Toyota collaboration
- bsbechtel 9y agoI absolutely agree with this. Trying to build a hardware product in a prior startup I owned, finding capable manufacturers without spending several thousand dollars to fly to China was extremely difficult. In addition, there is now a severe lack of knowledge related to manufacturing considerations when making design decisions because of this. This is an expensive price to pay that's not necessarily included in many free trade benefit analyses.
- maloney 9y agoI don't buy this, the United States is still the second largest manufacturing country in the world.
- robin_reala 9y agoNot that I doubt you, but by what metrics?