Made in the USA ... Again! Why the industry is back in the US

Knitting hundred waiting to be released from its plastic cover, lined up like at attention in the middle of the floor of Richelieu group in a half empty. At the other end, is installing a press. On November 15, the production of socks must restart the old production unit hidden behind the curtain of trees 100 kilometers north of Charlotte, the financial capital of North Carolina. A revival. Since its heyday when this rural corner of the state was the heart of the textile industry in the United States, about 1,500 people worked here. Manufacturing was outsourced to China in 2006. Four years later, he went bankrupt.
"Some think I'm crazy. We gave him half a year to review all processes. The project is profitable and competitive," swear Michael Penner, Richelieu Group head of Quebec, who was invited to the house white in January to present their project. To produce the same cost in China, Industrial eliminates the costly steps labor by automating and choosing special child to go without dye. Seventy-eight technicians have already been hired. "Ups and downs we have experienced. We are back on the right slope" sums Elena Azzarita, director of human resources.
Richelieu Group illustrates the revival of American manufacturing. Since the end of the 2008-2009 recession, the industry makes its reappearance. Increasing the competitiveness of US factories encourages companies to repatriate some of their activities. Examples abound, even in traditional sectors. In North Carolina, Kerr Chinese group will soon reopen a mill. Stanley Black & Decker in the same state will manufacture a range of DIY tools redesigned to occur again in the United States economically. As for Wal-Mart distribution is committed to increase in 50 billion dollars (40 million euros) the supply of goods made in America. A decision largely symbolic - representing 1% of its rays - but decisive Richelieu Group, which received a firm order for three years.
Delay super-clusters Obama

To accelerate the emergence of tomorrow's technologies, Barack Obama had promised in 2012 to create 15 institutes manufacturing innovation, with billions of dollars. The lack of support from Congress, only four of them involving federal agencies, companies and universities, are so far on the track.
A fifth, dedicated to photonics, should join in 2015. Housed since 2012 in Youngstown (Ohio), the pilot project in 3D printing has been renamed "America makes" do less administrative, and has already launched twenty projects research.
Other institutes have been delayed. Announced in January, the next generation power electronics institute should begin its work in Raleigh (NC) at the end of the year. "This represents additional funding and a new approach.
This institute will focus on the missing laboratory technology and enable applications, "says Chad Eckhardt, CEO Gridbridge, a member of the implementation of the future institute bricks. But with public funding of € 140 million -private its scope is modest in America.

According to the reshoring Initiative foundation, since 2010, 55,000 jobs have already been "returned" to the United States. "Companies had gone too far in offshoring. There is a pendulum effect to balance. But all the jobs are not coming back," said Harry Moser, a former businessman who heads the initiative and hopes reshoring foundation one million jobs ... will be created for several decades.
Rising wages in China has reduced the attractiveness of Asian production. At the same time, labor costs fell on average by 12% since 2009 in the United States, according to the National Association of manufacterers (NAM), the Association of American industry, mainly due to the reduction of the "benefits" the health coverage or pension granted to employees. Transportation costs and the need to reduce the delivery time also changes the equation. "Through the internet, you have to juggle dozens of references to suit customer tastes. We can not offer three or four standard. Products immobilization of its shares for three weeks is difficult to sustain financially," argues Louis Hornick who preferred to open its new textile plant in South Carolina.
GENERAL RECOVERY
American Reindustrialisation goes beyond these relocations. The overall recovery of the economy is completed by the books of industrial orders. Since this summer, the activity for the first time exceeded the level of 2007. In September, the index of industrial production reached record its best performance in two years. In his office in Columbia, the provincial capital of South Carolina too, Mike Briggs believes that a return to the strength of the industry is durable. "Productivity has increased considerably in recent years with automation and the United States remains the world market for most industrial products. There are reasons to be optimistic for the next decade," said CEO of Central SC Alliance, a organization responsible for attracting foreign investors.
Statistics show right thing. In three years, South Carolina, which has five million people, attracted almost 9 billion (€ 7 billion) investment and about 20,000 industrial jobs. Bridgestone tire manufacturer built a factory, while Japan's Toray plans to invest US $ 1 billion (€ 800 million) for the manufacture of carbon fibers, primarily for Boeing. We stand in the forefront of States that have experienced the best rally in the sector ahead of its neighbors, Georgia and North Carolina. Although industrial situation improved in the last set. "If when I do my jogging, I count the number of construction sites, I realize that something is going well in American industry" is almost funny Alan Kelly, director of the factory GE Aviation Durham (NC).
If the rebound of the industry is through the United States, is in the Old South that larger projects are. To attract industry, the recipe is tested. Lower prices and wages lower ground than elsewhere - $ 11 (€ 8.75) per hour for smaller jobs - have already shifted the center of gravity of the automotive industry from the edges of lakes to the south. The DOC - Department of Commerce - South Carolina, which also has the "right to work" law, which limits the presence of unions, and aggressive tax incentives. "Less regulation is everything here works industry needs all speak only .. Industrial growth projects," said Lewis Gossett, a retrieved Republican against "Obamacare" solid - reform of the health system - who chairs the alliance manufacterers South Carolina, the industry organization in South Carolina.
Recreate a ECOSYSTEM
Reindustrialisation is far from plain sailing. Beyond the cyclical recovery, manufacturers have tried to production "made in USA" sometimes they had to overcome an obstacle. "If the macroeconomic data on production costs are enlightening, really do reshoring is a difficult task," says Willy With Harvard management professor in his latest article published in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). For the industry of reincarnation is not running out of steam, one of the challenges is to recreate an ecosystem often dislocated. Kamler Arnold, CEO of Kent International, can attest. A Manning (SC), which bought for a pittance of a plant for the manufacture of bicycles into disuse "Assembled in the USA", and benefited from tax cuts for employment. Problem: he must find suppliers for their 500,000 bicycles. "There is no parts supplier in the United States. The production here is not even allowed me to reduce my delivery time because all parts are imported from China," laments Arnold Kamler, who first thought of a relocation in Vietnam and Indonesia .
Behind the factory gate, still barred with a large plate of plywood, technical finish installing the assembly line conveyor feeding while a worker is follow rode wheel spokes imported from china, before a robot takes care of installing the tire. The solution lies in the vast field behind the factory. Arnold Kamler invited its suppliers and subcontractors Taiwanese and Chinese for a small site visit in June 2015, when the plant is fully operational. In a globalization process in reverse, which hopes to convince many to move to the side to mount your share of the US supply of 70%. "We could even take equity stakes in joint ventures," anticipates industry.
The other obstacle is the shortage of qualified technicians. A hundred miles north of Charlotte skyscrapers, Calcagne Roy, CEO of CraftMaster sofas furniture manufacturer, also produce more. But in the workshops, seamstresses bent over their sewing machines linked together and an additional 10 hours per week. "We are more qualified people, so we offer much higher wages than other employers in the county. In the 1990s, furniture factories closed and people have educated their children by reducing their willingness to work in this sector "laments Roy Calcagne, which employs 600 workers and has recruited 80 last year.
Industrial has developed a minimum of six months to meet their needs. In the next school year, sixteen-week training must be mounted with the Technical College of the city. Roy believes Calcagne "As manufacturing jobs will come back in the United States, the skills of the problems will be increasingly difficult to resolve." Local authorities have understood. South Carolina SC Ready has established a program for pilot training tailored to the needs of industry. In North Carolina, attempts to develop learning German are studied. "Improving our initial education is crucial. The action of the Obama administration in the field is more important than manufacturing innovation institutes created to carry out the new technologies", yet Judge Harry Moser.
AMERICAN MODEL
The links between business and universities remain the great power of innovation to the US model. "The industry needs to adapt more quickly, so we still have to intensify our cooperation with business," says Karen Leonas, director of the School of Textiles NC State University in Raleigh, who aims to become the "Stanford east Coast ". It is bathed Cooperation. To assist in the repatriation of the textile industry, the university has received $ 660,000 (€ 524,600) for the distribution of funds reindustrialización Wal-Mart - even he - to improve industrial supplies digital printing technique. One of the five institutes Manufacturing innovation created by Barack Obama [see above] should also reach the end of the year, Centennial Campus Raleigh, where companies and universities already met.
The US industry knows she will have to change. "There will be no refund of the industry before sums Rick Little, director of the Aplix factory in suburban Charlotte, specialized technicians for the aerospace and hygiene products adhesives. But you can make room in niches and gain market share there ".