Free Republic

America’s manufacturing sector has been struggling of late, and has lost more than 500,000 jobs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Compounding these woes is a recent, global shortage of semiconductor chips. A heavy reliance on computer chips from Taiwan and Korea has hit U.S. manufacturers hard. The nation’s auto sector has been particularly affected, with Ford F, -0.65% forced to cut back production of its F-150 truck and GM GM, +0.59% halting operations at three plants. All of this points to the wider problem of America’s rising import dependence. Reliance on overseas semiconductor producers has put the United...

A New Trend “Sneaking up on People” By Chris Mayer 04/23/12China has lost its edge.There was lots of skepticism about a piece in my March letter called “The Great Comeback No One Will Believe” about the revival of U.S. manufacturing as China loses its cost advantage. But I continue to find evidence that the piece was spot on. I had a good talk with Scott Huff, a principal at Innovate International, which does product development work and contract manufacturing for several industries. Scott’s story is worth passing on because the arc of his career in the last 10 years tells...

U.S. Manufacturing Obituaries Premature by: Heyecan Veziroglu, December 03, 2007 Instead of mischaracterizing the significance and meaning of the U.S. trade deficit and assuming that the loss of 3 million manufacturing jobs four years ago requires a tough response today, policymakers should try to attain a better understanding of the condition of U.S. manufacturing, Cato Institute policy analyst Daniel Ikenson pointed out in a Capitol Hill briefing that the think tank held recently. While the U.S.-China trade deficit for goods and services combined has been growing at approximately 23% per annum, the United States remains the world’s most prolific manufacturer,...

Detroit - About one-third of the automotive parts industry is probably headed for bankruptcy. The chilling prediction comes from Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. He spoke at a conference for automotive writers Saturday, a week before the North American International Auto Show opens to the public Jan. 14 at Detroit's Cobo Conference and Exhibition Center. Faced with financial hemorrhaging, automakers are paring down their number of suppliers and are working closer with the remaining companies to get a better handle on costs. Those suppliers in top market positions can invest in...