#1 jjones - 30 May, 7:45 AM

I think you have some very good points. It’s the first time I’ve seen the criminal issue presented this way and I think it has a lot of merrit. The only issue I have with your article, is that you should not lump Nixon in with that group of people. Nixon made a mistake, but not to be classified as a criminal. He had more good points than bad.

I think you have hit the nail on the head about the decline of our country! In addition, this younger generation does not understand or appreciate what it took to get this country where it is today, they like the life they’re living, but don’t realize they are about to loose it and if not very careful, will never get it back!!

#2 dalow - 30 May, 7:45 AM

Why do you use a fine technical magazine to spout your communist social agenda? Why not just quit your job and join the ACLU?

#3 Matteo - 30 May, 8:13 AM

So speaking in favour of good values is being communist? Shame on you for not considering that exploiting someone or something is always wrong!
The author is perfectly right, and I’m happy someone clever has the courage to stand up for a better way of living! We ALL are involved.
Thanks
Matteo (from Italy)

#4 wingman - 30 May, 8:42 AM

The author is right. Made in America is the only way we as a country can survive. Everyone should open their eyes and look at what’s happening to this country.
We need manufacturing jobs here, not 6000 miles away in China.

#5 IAguy2 - 30 May, 12:19 PM

These are the kind of problems that engineers need to confront. I in my arrogance have stated many times that you don’t flunk out of business school & go into engineering, but vice versa. But there are a lot of smart people here (in engineering.) We try to move production to the place of least cost. If third world countries did not have children working in factories, they would be scrounging for food. Raise the standard of living there and the children stop needing to work. Bring the work back to the US and it is automated, using fewer workers. What do we do with all the extra workers that are not needed because of product cost reductions? Whether the product is manufactured overseas or in more highly automated domestic factories, what goods & services can the displaced workers supply that will raise our standard of living and provide them with a good income? The person that can answer that question might find him/herself very wealthy. Another book you might add to your library is “More Sex is Safer Sex” by Steve Lansbury (Ok, I might have the author’s name wrong, bite me.) An economist view of creating vs. stealing wealth - it is a good read.

Another problem - the cost of being good. What do you do with all the criminals who decide to be good citizens? And the police officers, the jail workers, the lawyers, the judges, who will no longer be needed because the criminals decide not to be? What productive jobs can they have?

IAguy2

#6 reader comment - 05 June, 10:20 PM

John,

I do not have an easy answer to your challenge, but I can tell you that you have identified one of the primary culprits. We (even your readers, who are much better equipped than most to judge and appreciate quality in things they make or buy) have happily embraced this throwaway culture. It’s sold to us by people whose living comes not from designing or making things, but by convincing us that we should pay them $10 for something that costs $2, because it’s still cheaper than the one we can make for $20. But why? Why have we allowed this? Because we have also embraced the concept that if some is good, more is better, and too much is just fine. This is sickness, and might be an inevitable outcome of a society of poor immigrants that has been through revolution, massive cultural change, wars and social upheaval in just 200 years. Our value system doesn’t include permanence, because we have no experience with it, and the same rich exploiters who drove us from our ancestral homes in Europe are here among us, showing us how easy it is to follow in their footsteps.

As an aside, many years ago I worked in China for a company selling, supporting and teaching applications of geophysical measurement equipment. I visited a family of one of our customers’ engineers in Suzhou who told me that they had lived there for 1,300 years. They were a little amused at all the new technology, but not too bothered by it. I was amazed — the family lived in Suzhou for 1,300 years? No, I was told, the family had lived in _that house_ for 1,300 years.

Other approaches to this problem, that have generated bursts of American ingenuity and progress, have happened when we as a society bought into a fear-based religious concept that supporting a world war in Europe or the Pacific with all our cleverness and brawn was essential to our survival. We don’t yet have something like that. What we have is a nation of box-shifters who, lacking the smarts to invent, build or teach something better than the status quo, are content to suck up whatever they can of our mercantile “perceived value” largesse.

Our government does not help, again because our citizens are too complacent to take it to task when special interests abuse their positions of influence. When I saw your headline I thought you might be referring to the “Made in USA” campaign of the Federal Trade Commission, which has become such a farce that companies like ours are forced to rather extreme measures. You know that you cannot label something “Made in America” unless “all or substantially all” of its components were sourced here, and that includes the plastic in the injection moldings and the iron ore in the stamped steel parts. Read about it at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/madeusa.shtm … This became a political issue when the labor unions and manufacturers ganged up and forced the “all or substantially all” language rather than something more realistic. We are a small manufacturer of leading-edge microphones used in music and sound for picture. You can see a recent British review of our new model at http://www.josephson.com/pdf/720resrev.pdf … We cannot buy the high performance semiconductors and transformers we need in the US. Nearly everything else is made in our shop here, or by machine shops within 50 miles of here, and our daily challenge is not cutting price, but pushing the envelope of quality. But within the US we cannot market some of our products as “Made in USA.”

Maybe the solution is like the one Greece adopted to replace fighting with athletic competition. Maybe we can turn quality and awareness of what we buy into sport, a sport that can inspire ingenuity and effort. What’s your solution?

Regards

David Josephson
Josephson Engineering, Inc.

#7 reader comment - 05 June, 10:23 PM

John,

I read your Insights column and you hit the nail on the head! I just bought a Chevrolet Equinox because I’ve been a Chevy man for years. After reading the fine print on the sticker “Engine & transmission made in Japan” and “Assembled in Canada” I’m wondering if I actually bought an American vehicle? I want to buy American, but it’s getting more difficult everyday.

What are we going to do about it? The reason American companies are shipping the work out of the USA is because it can be done cheaper in almost every other country. Americans have become spoiled with cheap prices and higher wages. American corporations have become greedier and their share holders want higher dividends. If we all agreed to reduce our raises and pay more for American made products, maybe we could get back on track. I also has to start at the top with the American corporations. Do you think they would listen?

Regards,

Ernie

#8 reader comment - 05 June, 10:24 PM

Last paragraph of your editorial—

No I do not like it.

Yes you are wrong, mis/un informed, and have your head in the sand.

Additionally you sound LIBERAL, LIBERAL, and LIBERAL!

Lastly elect congressmen and senators who are concerned about the country instead of their own personal interest and hold them accountable.

William O. Pearman

#9 reader comment - 05 June, 10:25 PM

John,

I have never disagreed with someone more. We have tons of young engineers waiting at colleges for jobs (and many go into other fields such as business.) As a graduate from a University in 2004 it took me till 2006 to land a steady career. Unfortunetly a lot of companies are unwilling to groom young engineers. Also the executives do not like doing business in the US because for one people fail to show up for work (missing delivery schedules and losing business) while all the time employees complain they do not make enough money (even with great benefits). Also finding people to work in a factory has become harder and harder. Also training has become harder for companies to facilitate with trying to bring in unskilled workers that are not prepared for technical or hands on work.

Also I blame the educational institutions for not promoting manufacturing careers and being able to bring qualified candidates in the workplace. Next the government for spending countless hours wasting time on who can get married and who can’t, instead of spending the time fixing our educational system by actually visiting and auditing our school system.

Also many of the problems can be rooted in our short term thinking philosophy and not in finding long term solutions. If you would like to read a book that explains why our executives at companies have such a hard time read The Machine that Changed the World. It forcasted exactly what is happening now.

I think LEAN is the answer for our current manufacturing problems and not just some tools, but the whole system.

It is easy to make one problem the worst in a system full of flaws. And remember we do live in a market economy.

Chad Garza
Salt Lake City, UT

#10 reader comment - 05 June, 10:25 PM

Hello John Gyorki -

Just read your column titled per email ‘Subject’ line… Beautifully put. Having seen these things develop over the years and constantly considering them has brought me to think likewise. I worked ‘blue collar’ for quite a number of years in transportation/maintenance and manufacturing/skilled-trades while earning an engineering degree through evening study. Subsequently, I have worked in the ‘white collar’ realm of engineering for some years now for a medical device manufacturer. I believe that my experiences thus far have given me a fairly balanced view. I conclude as you do that something clearly is amiss, and it is related to human character - or rather, lack thereof. In my view of these things I see this (in simplistic terms) as a displacement of American wealth into other nations. The general structure of trade agreements and business methods (that are by some means sanctioned) are the vehicle for the transfer. I suspect that many of those that are involved are unaware of that general result and focus on the immediate gains attainable in their smaller realm. And then there are those that may understand but remain unconcerned… Is this a manifestation of the decline of our country in the typical ‘rise & fall’ of civilizations?

Hoping For a Better Future -

JCD

#11 reader comment - 05 June, 10:27 PM

Greetings,

Are you wrong, misinformed or need to have your head examined? Well, partially. Not all are “greedy” and want to have more than we deserve. Not all heads of companies have everything made offshore.

I try to “buy American” every chance I get. The problem is, my chances are dwindling. Last time I looked for an alarm clock for my bedside, I searched in vain for an American made clock. They simply can not be found. I asked the young man helping me to look at all the clocks to see if I was missing something. He was stunned and it looked like it made an impression on him. So, due to the greed of a few that want higher profits, my choices have been limited to the point that I can not “do the right thing”. I would either have to build my own clock, or do without. I kind of need a clock.

Alarm clock manufacturing has indeed left the US. However, it has been replaced by manufacturing jobs that require higher skill. A recent quick look at jobs showed lots of jobs for people that could run a CNC machine or a mill, or lathe. The jobs are there, you just have to know how to do something more than turn a screw driver.

I have our products manufactured at a contract manufacturing place. It’s in the US. IN fact, it’s about 5 minutes away from the main office. I once read an article from a gentleman that was having some gizmo built in China. He related the story of the trials and tribulations of getting the thing built over there. They had communication issues, poor parts substitutions, out of spec parts received by the manufacturing company. It sounded like a real mess. “Hmm,” I thought to myself, “we have all those same issues with our manufacturing place, but we only have to travel 5 minutes away to take care of them”.

This offshore practice is having a backlash now and we’re seeing more of these jobs return to the US. Keep watching.

Regards,

David

#12 reader comment - 05 June, 10:28 PM

I totally agree with what you wrote. This is what I think about globalization :

It is an easy way out for US corporations to move dangerous process and waste chemicals somewhere else.
Remember the Dow Chemical Plant explosion in Bhopal, India in 1984, resulting in the death of more than 3,000 people? Injuring over 100, 000?
Instead of US companies finding a proper and safe way to dispose used chemicals, the CEO’s in the US mindset is to just move them elsewhere.
Imagine how many jobs would be created here in the USA to handle these problem? Now I hear about Al Gore’s Global Warming Initiative. Go Green!
I am not sure if the word “Green” used in that slogan translates to green dollars in somebody’s pocket. Here we go again, full circle with some stupid idea
that will end up not benefiting mankind, just benefiting a bunch of rich greedy guys.

Tony Monti

#13 reader comment - 05 June, 10:28 PM

GOOD AFTERNOON JOHN,

THANKS FOR REINFORCING THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR GREAT COUNTRY!

MY RESUME LOOKS LIKE A WHOS, WHOS OF COMPANIES NO LONGER MANFACTURING IN AMERICA OR WHO CLOSED THEIR DOORS BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT COMPETE WITH THE FOREIGN MADE PRODUCTS.

OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM IS BROKEN, OUR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN TAUGHT THEY ARE ENTITLED AND DO NOT HAVE TO WORK FOR ANYTHING!

OUR COUNTRY IS DEEP IN DEBT TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO THE POINT THAT OUR CONGRESS SHOULD BE PUT IN JAIL FOR POOR FISCAL MANAGEMENT. THE COST OF FUEL IS SO BAD THAT WE WILL SOON HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN EATING OR GOING TO WORK BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY FOR ANYTHING ELSE.

BANKERS ARE BAILED OUT BY THESE SAME POLICY MAKERS, FOR MAKING POOR DECISIONS WHEN THEY SHOULD BE FORCED OUT OF BUSINESS AND MADE TO FORFEIT ANY MONEY THEY RECEIVE FOR PAY.

YOUR LETTER HIT HOME FOR ME!

I HAVE NO SOLUTIONS OTHER THEN TO HAVE A PEOPLE LEAD REVOLUTION AND MAYBE START OVER AS A GOVERNMENT GOES, WHERE WE PAY FOR OUR CONSEQUENCES!

THANKS,

DAVID BECKER

YORK, PA – TRANSPLY, INC SALESMAN.

#14 reader comment - 05 June, 10:28 PM

Hi John:

I loved your article. It was right on the mark!

Every time someone I know buys a import car,truck,lawn mower or whatever, I always say “Why didn’t you buy American? YOU are the reason this country is in dire straights. I keep on throwing digs at them so they will feel guilty. Maybe next time they will choose differently.

I always look for the made in USA tag.

Gary Bienvenue - CNC/LASER/CAD/CAM Dept. Manager

#15 reader comment - 05 June, 10:29 PM

Hi John,

I felt compelled to respond to your insights column this month with a different viewpoint. Lots of interesting discussion points that would support hours of chat over an adult beverage, I’ll hit a couple highlights.

Globalization and automation should be used to our (and the worlds) advantage. Thanks to automation and technology, we exited the agricultural age a couple hundred years ago (I don’t want to be a farmer). Hundreds of thousands lost their livelihoods and moved into higher value work in the industrial age of the 19th century. Thanks (primarily) to automation and secondarily to low living standards in other countries, hundreds of thousands of factory jobs were lost or offshored in the 20th century (I don’t want to be a factory worker). Then the US economy shifted to “knowledge workers” (ala Drucker). So we became engineers, Dr.’s, accountants, or even lawyers. Today we’re experiencing the next shift where knowledge workers are no longer the ones that will drive our economic engine. A Dr. in India interprets my MRI, skilled coders in India are eager to work for $12k.

That’s ok too. It doesn’t mean we have to become a service economy. We simply have to do what others can’t do cheaper, or automate. Creativity, system architecture, synthesizing the big picture to architect a system, design (engineering is down, but graphic design student populations are through the roof!) – those are the roles that will drive our economy and growth. And I’m sure that some of that will change yet again in the next 50-100 years - but being the innovative, entrepreneurial Americans that we are, we will continue to evolve and thrive.

Yet another view that I wrestle with is the balance between patriotism and humanitarianism. I’m personally “guilty” of exporting six figure sums for engineering services to India and Eastern Europe. Ironically, the primary motivator isn’t the economics, it’s that I can’t recruit engineers in our “micropolitan” location (3-4 month recruiting cycle per engineer). But I don’t feel guilty at all that Nimish, one of the engineers in India who grew up with literally nothing, and today has 3 young children of his own, is improving the standard of living for his family with my help. The humanitarian in me has a hard time wrestling with the US as a birthright that entitles those born here to a standard of living that’s orders of magnitude different than ours. That’s just something I chew on. All else being equal, the patriot in me would rather help a US family first, but it’s virtually impossible to paint a “all-things being equal” picture.

One final point to wrestle with is competition. 75% of my competitors are out of Asia. Not just their mfg, but their hq and engineering. My #1 competitor has 8x my engineering staff, likely at about 2x my cost. All have lower cost basis mfg. If we bury our head in the sand to that competition, the effect isn’t that I create X new US engineering jobs and Y new US mfg jobs, but in reality it’s that the 100+ mfg and eng jobs that we do create are lost as a competitor puts us out of business.

The solutions? Innovative, customer driven new products that bring unique value to our customers. Understanding our value proposition and being sure we spend our expensive resources on things that cannot be replicated offshore (customized low volume mfg for one), or automated.

Just a couple viewpoints you may (or may not) enjoy. One book I recommend (at least, like most books, the first half of) is “A whole new mind, why right-brainers will rule the future” by Daniel Pink. My entire product dev team just completed a book-club style review and discussion of this book, that really presents solutions to us “knowledge workers” who’s jobs have the potential to be automated or outsourced. They’re excited – they know their competition comes from offshore and every one of them feels a competitive urge to kick some butt with American ingenuity and innovation.

Best,

-Mike

#16 reader comment - 05 June, 10:29 PM

Hi John, Sounds like you don’t think too highly of North American industrial leaders and distributors,
probably some of the very people who help keep your magazine in business. Having been in business
myself for many years now, I find it easy to understand why so many educated people see the glass as
“half empty”. IT SELLS! So who are you fooling?

You may find a comparison to Hitler, Mussolini or Osama bin Laden to be productive, but I doubt it.
Many people either don’t realize, or choose to ignore, the fact that the ones doing the most for the world
in general, and the environment in particular, are business people with innovative solutions who provide
workers with jobs, income, and something for people to do to gain some sense of accomplishment and
self-esteem. Others can sit back and complain or be critical because throwing stones is easier, and it sells.
“He who is without sin …” Be controversial! IT SELLS!

I have a few simple questions that may not have simple answers; but I think they should be asked.
Is our media, especially news, cleaning up the country or simply drawing everyone’s attention to the
“dark side”? Is the US business-based economy really a bad thing, or does it not foster competition,
provide jobs and lead to improved products and services and a better standard of living for all? Who’s
to say how much quality or quantity of anything is the “right” amount for individuals to have? Ads on TV,
in magazines and in newspapaers simply shout MORE, MORE, MORE! And kids are immune? Could a
“good” dictator be found to impose his will and necessary spending limits, or is this not a free country? Have
you never seen what was once a garbage dump (’scuse me, landfill) converted into useful property by
businesspeople? As manufacturing moves work overseas, are there not some benefits to be had by our
poorer neighbors? Is our society not doing the best job possible to teach youngsters what they need to
know to be successful businesspeople, or are many teachers simply required to promote everything
but basic reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic in school?

Innovative American businesspeople are finding solutions to problems every day, viable, economical,
realistic and profitable solutions that generate income, create jobs and employ people. Bottom line,
somebody has to buy the product or service, or the company will be out of business. Those who do the
best job make the most money and are capable of being the most philanthropic. Companies that are more
innovative will not have to rely on foreign manufacturing. Others will have to employ foreign workers in
remote corners of the world to be competitive in this world market because they make easily duplicated
commodity items. I work for a company that is an innovative problem solver. Business is good!

We all know big changes take time. Big projects with important goals are not completed overnight. World
peace will probably not be achieved tomorrow. And solutions have to be managed. Can you manage to get
some positive solutions into your “INSIGHTS”? There probably are many valuable industry leading resources,
people to interview out there in industry with great ideas. Why not be part of the solution instead of being part
of the problem, unless it just sells better?

Best Regards,
Dave Takata, Sales Manager

#17 reader comment - 05 June, 10:30 PM

John,

Just received the new “Design World” magazine and to answer your question you are 100% correct.

The offshore world is there due to the higher up management group that don’t realize their need for simple but “GREED”.

Give me more!

It is so real that sales managers will only pursue the projects that are high volume which means high dollar.

Even if the product only lasts for 6 or 9 months. Don’t bother with the items that last years.

They need the BIG numbers to show on there “year end reports”.

Bonnie and Clyde are still alive, just hiding behind a big corporate sign.

And yes you can use this on your blog – I dare anyone to disagree with it.

Thanks again,

Ken McCarthy
Project Engineer

#18 reader comment - 05 June, 10:30 PM

I enjoyed your article (though it was in poor taste to put Nixon in the same class as Osama and Hitler).

I think you might have oversimplified the issue of “made in China,” or other zero-labor countries. First, let me say that I will not purchase items not made in USA if there is an alternative. The issues that I see in purchasing or manufacturing overseas are these.

1. Competition. When one company begins this practice, and sharply reduces a price of an item that seems to be reasonable quality, then other competitors follow, or go out of business. How does one convince a consumer that a widget made in China is different in quality than one made in USA, when they look the same. (In fact, sometimes the USA part is inferior, but that’s for another article.)

2. There is something to be said for economic efficiencies of using low cost labor. The division of labor — if done in a transparent manner — is a creator of wealth for the community. A good example was my engineering consulting side-business, when I had several children in college. I quickly found that it was more economical for me to have a competent mechanic fix my car, while I did engineering. The mechanic was more efficient and skilled than I. I made more money (after taxes) in the several hours it would have taken me to fix the car than I had to pay the mechanic to do it. Before this, I would fix my own car, considering it to be a leisure activity. The same can be true on a global scale, if not distorted by politics.

3. The people might not be worse off because of the companies hiring them. I might argue that the Chinese people are much better off because of American trade. True, we still consider the labor practices to be abysmal, but, compared to their alternatives, they prefer the abysmal labor practices. I expect that this is true in other countries, also. So, the question is, are the people doing this labor better off than they would otherwise be, or are their companies truly making slaves of them. Look at the Pittsburgh steel mills in the 1930’s, and how our labor relations have improved.

The issue of fewer students in engineering and science, I believe is also multi-faceted. First, our elementary and high schools are, frequently, nothing to be proud of. Our good teachers are not rewarded substantially, and our bad teachers are rewarded the same. The Woodrow Willson foundation (I am a Woodrow Wilson Fellow of 1967 at UNC Chapel Hil ) notes that in countries that are growing engineering and science students, the very good teachers are making considerably more than the average wage, while the bad teachers aren’t teaching. We claim a teacher shortage, and hire anybody, and give them a defined-benifit pension if they merely show up. So we need better measurement of our teachers, and more competition for our students. The teachers’ union is a serious culprit here, in my opinion.

Second, we in engineering and science are doing a poor job of comunicating the excitement of the fields. It is true that I could have made more money as a lathe operator in Michigan. (In fact, when I took my first job as a Ph.D. in physics, I was making less than a garbage man in San Francisco — yet I preferred industrial physics to picking up garbage.) I’m not particularly skilled in public relations, but I do see the failure of our public relations in science and engineering, and believe that this, in combination with teachers who do not understand science or engineering, is the reason we have a lack of interested students in the sciences. Our children need to learn that a career is for the excitement and fun. Making money a first priority might lead to riches, but it does not necessarily lead to a rich life.

Again, thanks for your sharing your thoughts on this.

David W. Knoble, Ph.D., PE
Tupelo, MS

#19 reader comment - 05 June, 10:30 PM

Loved the article and your attitude…

That being said,, Who can we vote for?

It’s become so cloudy , finding the good guys is impossible or they get pushed out…

I’m looking forward to finding this article in a digital format.. I have friends that need to read it..

Dave Duncan

#20 reader comment - 05 June, 10:31 PM

Dear Mr. Gyorki,
Excellent article. I wholeheartedly agree with you. I tend to put more blame on consumers for what is happening to our economy and the whole offshore manufacturing mess. Consumers these days are most often only concerned about cost, not quality. In my opinion most people these days do not even see the importance of supporting local businesses in their own communities. In regards to your comments on how we have converted pristine landscape into garbage dumps, we are doing better than some. I’ve traveled to China and visited several manufacturing plants over the past few years. The industrial cities in China are making a huge impact on the environment, it is not pretty, and they are not held accountable as we are here in the US. Things have gone too far, that is for sure.

Best Regards,
Eric Rouch
Mechanical Engineer

#21 reader comment - 05 June, 10:32 PM

John

I enjoyed your article; it is too bad that in this country money is beginning to be our god. Nobody cares about anything but how much money they can make, as if that is the most important thing in the world. People can be dishonest and screw people over all day long because at the end of the day if they made more money it was all worth while.

This is my 20th year as an engineering consultant, my specialty is designing and developing products made of plastics. One of the things I hate them most about the American companies is that they are shipping many jobs overseas needlessly. The people that run the companies all think everything has to be made in China these days to be competitive. I keep trying to explain to them that anything that is made by a machine, i.e. Injection molded, stamped, etc. is just as costly to make in China as it is here, unless you have a lot of labor in the finishing or assembly time. You also have to deal with the cost of shipping, duties and the fact that the Chinese steal just about everything we send over there and sell it out the back door all over the world.

If more of our companies would learn how to design correctly we could have kept the majority of those jobs in this country. I am wondering, when all of our vendors go out of business, who will we have making our weapon systems parts?
Maybe these geniuses think we can have the Chinese make those parts for us also, then when they kick our butts with our own weapons, the people running our companies will wonder how that happened.

Sincerely,

John M McGettrick

#22 reader comment - 05 June, 10:32 PM

Mr. Gyorki,

I just picked up my copy of Design World May 2008 and read your column. It struck a nerve, and seemed to very accurately articulate a lot of thoughts that have been swimming around in my head for the past few years. Thank You. I think we, the American people, may ourselves drive U.S. companies to pursue lower cost alternatives offshore because we now expect everything at “Wal-Mart” prices, and essentially are putting ourselves out of jobs. It is a viscous cycle that somehow needs to be abated. A key component to do that is education, as you mention. We need to find a way to get more young people to study Engineering once again to foster the type of technological innovation that made America a great. I don’t know any exact statistics but I’ve heard the G.I. Bill had a tremendous impact on the number of Engineering Graduates after World War II, and our greatest decades of manufacturing prosperity that resulted after that can’t be a coincidence.

I don’t want to toot our own horn, but I’m very proud that Opto 22, located just under 90 miles from the Mexico border, manufactures all of our parts here in Temecula CA. We firmly believe we can control quality better with all aspects of our business done in-house. It works; which is why we can offer a lifetime warranty on all of our solid-state i/o modules and relays.

Best Regards,

Arun Sinha

#23 reader comment - 05 June, 10:32 PM

John,

It is a cold, rainy Saturday morning in San Diego, so I’m paging through some of my technical journals. That led me to your recent editorial, Made in America – Not. Put simply, I agree with you, both about our throwaway society and the manufacturers who produce their products overseas at low prices and use poor people to do it.

I prefer to focus first on my own culpability in all this. One of the most inaccurate words in the American lexicon is consumer: we don’t consume as much as we discard, so I would prefer that from now on we call ourselves discarders.

An example: when I go to the supermarket, as I did earlier today, and buy almost anything, it is over packaged. A package of lox I chose to buy today has a piece of cardboard inside a piece of plastic inside another piece of cardboard. And when I paid for the lox, without question or thought, the bagger put this triple-packaged bit of smoked fish into a plastic bag as she was trained to do.

When I said, “ I don’t want a bag,” the reaction was, “Are you sure?” In my sarcastic mind I thought, “Well, let me reconsider—maybe two pieces of cardboard and one piece of plastic really are not enough to protect an ounce of fish for the ten minutes between right now and the time I eat it.” Instead I just say, “Yes, I’m sure.”

As I said in the beginning, I also agree with your assessment of the criminal nature of many companies who take advantage of desperately poor people under the guise of financial prudence and comfort themselves with the mental salve that says simply creating jobs, no matter that these jobs do much more for the company than for the workers, should win them kudos for their goodness.

On the other hand category, not everyone does it that way. The company I own does marketing for electronics manufacturers, several here in California, some in Europe, and two in Japan. All except one, a company here in San Diego, manufactures products outside their home country. They all are successful companies, but I am most impressed by the one who has chosen not to go offshore with their production.

This company that manufactures in San Diego has consistently made good net profits, increased its market share, and increased the number of markets it serves. It does this by treating its employees well (turnover is very low), putting a lot of engineering effort and money into R&D, concentrating on high value-added products, and giving customer service that is recognized by several awards each year, including one from Intel. I think it’s worth noting that the company was founded by and led for most of its 25 years of existence by people who are engineers, only one of whom earned an MBA after graduating with a mechanical engineering degree.

The length of this message probably is the best evidence it is Saturday morning, and I hope the wordiness hasn’t obscured the most important thing I wanted to say—thank you for a thoughtful and well-written editorial.

Sincerely,

Richard Schedtler

#24 reader comment - 05 June, 10:33 PM

Dear Mr. Gyorki:

I would like to tell you that you are wrong in the May, 2006 editorial.

You are wrong!

The idea that “North American Industrial Leaders & Distributors” are making slaves of people in underdeveloped countries is nonsense.

While working conditions/wages may not be those acceptable in developed countries, they are still jobs and generate income.

What would be the status of those people if all the manufacturing left those places?

The answer, of course, would be no jobs, no wages.

Which do you suppose those people would prefer?

People everywhere consume/own products they deem have the most value. You are not in any position to determine how much quantity they should own…that is for those concerned to decide.

Loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. has been an on-going process for at least 40 years.

We have to realize that America is not the same global production monopoly that it was after WWII. In more recent years, this has finally been generally recognized, and in the future, government policy adjustments will need to be made.

The subject you are attempting to address is free trade which is a wonderful process. It provides us, among other things, with year around fresh produce at our super markets. It also gives
competition to our domestic industries which gives consumers
better products.

Free trade is bad is when it is not free, but one-sided. Sadly, because of our own government policies, often this trade has been unfair to the U.S. and has been very damaging to our country.

There is no engineering shortage in the U.S. If more were graduated, more unemployed engineers would result. There may be a shortage of cheap engineers which is why so many foreign engineers are able to come to the U.S. for employment.

This problem should be totally laid at the foot of our government(specifically, the congress) and the industrial interests that lobby them.

To include Nixon in your list of criminals, pretty much shows your political bias.

And finally, I am not employed by any of the players around this
subject.

Sincerely,

Bob Downs

#25 reader comment - 05 June, 10:33 PM

John

I just read your insights column and could not agree more. You explained the situation very well and highlighted a very important area, our young people. If it is not already too late, we must make changes in this area or our young people will not even have a place to apply for a job. And it will be our fault. You ask the question ” What are we going to do about it? We must first elect government officials who are going to do something about this problem and “we” must stop buying cheap foreign products. I own a small injection molding company molding my own products and could very easily have my products made in China and make 30% to 50% more money, but I refuse to for the very reasons you stated.

We must bring Manufacturing jobs back to the United States as soon as we can. If we had a major world war we could not manufacture the equipment we need to defend our country. And, if this war happened to be with China, we would be in serious trouble. China would have all the factories and equipment and we would have very little.

A war may be a little far out, but the security of our country and our young people is a problem we must deal with now.

Just another view point

Mike Scrimpshire

#26 reader comment - 05 June, 10:33 PM

Mr. Gyorki,
Your point is well taken but it is old business. It may provoke a discussion among the readers but the true is that American manufacturing is already global and changing the situation would take many years and the unlikely political will of the ones who benefit the most with the current situation. We have even lost the capability of producing economically in USA most of the goods we buy offshore, and whether we want to admit it or not, we are more dependent from them that they are from us.
What am I going to do about it? Keep trying to adapt to the reality.
What is going to happen? Who knows, I have been wrong most of the times when trying to predict the future.
Where have you been for the last thirty years? ………
Regards
A.B.
Northridge, CA

#27 reader comment - 05 June, 10:33 PM

Hi John,

I just read your “NOT” column. I am glad to hear somebody, somewhere, is
in command of common sense and able to speak plainly to the “Off-Shore
Crisis”, which is what I think it should be called. The only contributing
factor to your greed equation not raised outright in your article is the
moral grounds on which to stand and direct a change. We have to knock
down the thoroughly false premise, that if it’s legal, then it’s moral.
But to your question, as in, “what are we going to do about it?”, I submit
that we explore what India did in the face of British rule following WWII.
That is, we examine what choices we can make to open US shops to meet our
own needs, as we close off choices that feed the off-shore transfer of
wealth. It may be too late, but if we don’t start, we’ll fall further and
puck up speed. I’m of a mind that the next 12-18 months will be critical.
Unfortunately, politics has a timing of it’s own and building a consensus
for sacrifice will take a boatload of know-how, inspiration, and uncommon
leadership. We need an outline of where to start and realizable targets.
There are going to be people going without oil this coming winter…and
they are already scared. Historically, such threats have often led to
war. Patriotism will need to mean bi-partisan.
Thank you for your time and your article.

Dave King
Sales Engineer

#28 reader comment - 05 June, 10:34 PM

As an engineer in the industrial automation industry I certainly feel the brunt of what your articles says. However, you fail to mention other reasons that companies go overseas, it is not their lack of concern for the environment or welfare for women and children in lieu of profits but the all the regulations and cost to comply that drive these companies overseas. Manual labor is not as significant a cost to manufacturing as the people are led to believe. As a matter of fact the US is manufacturing more products then ever. Fair labor laws and being responsible to the environment are important and do need to be monitored but the US government has gotten way out of hand with laws and fines against big companies. When we make it hard to make a profit companies will and should do something that will. That is there responsibility to their shareholders and employees. After all the purpose of a corporation is not to provide jobs but to make money, without which there are no jobs.

Also, I take exception to you including Nixon in with that group of evil dictators. He made a big mistake and was and should have been punished. It was a black-eye on our country but to lump any US president with those people is irresponsible. It definitely showed your liberal bias and set the tone for the rest of the article.

Tom Wood

#29 reader comment - 05 June, 10:34 PM

You hit the nail on the head. I think a lot of organizations are poorly run to begin with so instead of getting creative to become profitable, they simply look at the manufacturing floor and decide that if they pay them quite a bit less, they can be profitable. But I also believe that union shops need to take a new direction or attitude when it comes to this.
-No decent paying jobs for the common person means less taxes being paid = not good.
The best thing to combat the problem is to create a lot of small manufacturing organizations without the huge overhead costs and try to attack the markets that have gone overseas. I believe the common man in the midwest that used to have a good paying job will go out of his way to pay for a Made in USA product if the opportunity arises and is competitively priced.
Thanks for bringing the topic up.

Aaron
Gilroy, Ca

#30 reader comment - 05 June, 10:34 PM

Dear Mr. Gyorki,

I appreciated your insight in the May ‘08 issue. You certainly hit the nail on the head. We are unfortunately turning into a third world country without actually noticing. I’m hoping that the current oil price issues will facilitate a new surge of innovation for new energy sources and devices.

Keep up the great work!

Best regards,
Bob Parker
Aurora, Colorado

#31 reader comment - 05 June, 10:35 PM

I read your insight article and I unfortunately have to agree. I would like to add that the costly wasting that America endures is a direct effect of our capitalistic nature. These are growing pains “if you will” that our government should become mature enough correct.
The free trade in a way works like that of giving a dog table scraps. In the beginning the dog will not expect the extra treat and you might get a lick for it; yet after a bit of routine, the dog will bark at you for holding back or even try to get at your plate while you are eating. This is the kind of thing America has not addressed. We must put bills in place that begin to look out for the interests of the world. As entrepreneurs, new business opportunities will come from subsidies that could be in place to properly motivate free trade in the correct direction. Greed is only as good as the guidelines that government provides it.

___________________________

Josh Kaplan
Inside Sales

#32 reader comment - 05 June, 10:35 PM

I have been thinking about the topic of why so called American Companies are exporting work to other countries. I believe the enablers of this practice are the internationalists who want a one world government. If Americans could regain control of our own government then we could approach the problem with THE GOOD TAX???

THE GOOD TAX

We have heard about the fair tax and the flat tax now it’s about time we hear about the good tax. Can a tax be good? Yes, I believe that it is possible. If there were a good tax it would significantly reduce our personal exposure to and control by the IRS. It would have to be simple enough to describe without a 10 volume tax code or even a book. To be a good tax it must be good for America. To be a good tax it would have to be able to be phased in without shocking the economy. The good tax is one that promotes American interests. It must be constitutional. The good tax would be a consumption tax. This would encourage saving.
The good tax is an import tax. Everything that comes into the country would be taxed. The tax payers would collectively pay the exact same amount that they do now. The good would be that it encourages American manufactures, farmers and miners etc. If a person from another country comes here to work then the tax would be taken from his salary in addition to any other tax that citizens pay. Companies that export goods out of the country would get a tax rebate that would be the same percentage as the import tax. To start the good tax a small percentage 5-10% would be taxed at the port of entry on all goods. The total dollar value of this tax would be subtracted from the total dollar amount of tax produced by income tax. The percentage rate of all tax brackets would be reduced the same percentage rate. Over time the import tax would be slowly raised until the total import tax is equal to the total amount that would have been produced by the present income tax. At this time the income tax would be eliminated, the IRS would be eliminated and the border patrol and customs would be strengthened to accommodate the taxing and security inspections that should be done on all imported items. This would be a good tax. It would cause America to prosper. This was the tax that the founders of our country used. It worked then and it will work now and in the future.

Another thing we can do is to promote invention . I have about 10 pages on this topic if you are interested.

Morgan Kizer
Charlotte, NC

#33 reader comment - 05 June, 10:36 PM

Yes, you’re a little off in your thinking. The passion is great though.
Let’s start with fewer young people choosing careers in science, math, technology, physics, etc.
Our schools are not doing the job, also. Tech doesn’t pay what the glamour jobs in the media, law, and finance pay. The laws of economics apply to everything including choosing careers.
Some areas in this country have attempted to address this problem by forming industry-school district partenerships to improve education in tech and engineering, but they are few and far between. Two examples are Santa Ana, CAL and Fargo, ND in case you’re interested. The improvements in education were successful in attracting new industry and creating jobs.
By the way, there is am impending shortage of people available for tech jobs becasue of the retirement of us baby boomers. Just what we need, another crisis!
Remember that we didn’t export jobs to Japan, and they were beating the pants off of us in making all kinds of things becasue they paid attention to Deming, Shewhart, Crosby, et. al. who were preaching the quality message. We are getting it, finally, but this cost us a lot of jobs.

Your comparing businessmen to criminals for offshoring is just plain wrong. If these same businessmen kept making higher cost products than their competition, they would have lost market share and eventually lost their jobs. Of course, they could use quality techniques, but that would have not made up for low-cost labor. Is keeping your company in business a crime? Is keeping some jobs a crime rather than losing them all? Consumers look for lower prices all the time. Why is Wal-Mart in business?
Finally, closing the borders to imports would make the last depression look like a tea party. If you want answers, get education out of the hands of the educators and into partnerships with industries. Emphasize science, not politics. Get rid of laws that penalize business and try to help them instead of looking at business as a cash cow to be milked.

–
Nolan Kaplan

#34 reader comment - 06 June, 9:53 AM

Hi John,

I hear what you are saying in “Made in America - Not”, however I’m not sure what I or we can do about it. On one hand I thought I was to become the answer to some of the related problems. Yet today, perhaps I’m part of the problem?

After college getting my mech tech degrees, I landed a job with a 100+ year old mfg in Upstate NY. They were making 30,000 shovels a day labeled “Craftsmen” for Sears and the like. I was a kid in a candy store, soaking up manufacturing and eyeing automation projects. Even as a kid out of school, I could see management-union, production and employee problems; ones that seemed so silly and easily fixed. My thinking was (as I read Fortune magazine and the engineering trades), was would become the solution and one day I’d own the company. I do the right things for the employees and customers. However the leverage buyouts of the mid-80’s began occurring and then I lost that job (they didn’t need higher cost engineers). Although I soon got the job back (I loved the place), I later left as I had an inventive mind and eventually started a company that I called SoftNoze http://www.softnoze.com

As an engineer, turned inventor, turned business owner I’ve seen a great many thing, very few that I planned to encounter. My progress has been too slow, but relatively steady (I’m hoping were one of those “Good to Great” companies). We sell to Rockwell Automation, Turck, Hubbell, Square D, Balluff, Omron and a bunch more. I’ve worked endlessly to make our under 10 person company get an ISO compliant system, struggled to hire right and manage right and build systems required of a global company. More recently I’ve made shoestring trips to China and we’ll very soon have a legal “SoftNoze China” entity as we hope to not only buy parts from China, but want to sell to them and the Asian markets. Europe is next is my thinking, however my earlier dreams of being an inventor with a product development company that would help my community proposer (as it had when our Erie Canal period was booming) seems so far away.

I’m now 45 and time is passing. I’ve lost none of my drive to see my big plan hatch, but at what cost? Per your article I’m I part of the problem? My mother wonders what were doing in China, yet I feel for SoftNoze to remain viable to our customers, we’ll need a globally competitive price. If we don’t, someone else will.

The issues you bring up swirl in my head, as does the failing status of the Upstate New York economy, US Manufacturing and on, and on. Plus, I have this little itty bitty company that I’m hoping to grow into something so much bigger.

I’m not sure of the answers for America, but I think you sum-up the situation well. The way back to our roots my just not be possible. It could be we’ve had our time and we will just be the lessons for new people to draw from?

In many ways I think we are just watching mankind play out its time on plant earth. Short of reinventing the moral compasses and human nature we’re born with, there may not be a way back. Or perhaps it will take a very serious and painful step backwards via another huge economic depression, before the needed lessons are learned and can be implemented here in America?

Anyway, I enjoy your “new” publication, and hope one day to be an advertiser. In closing here’s a link to an online story related to your “Made in America-Not” article:

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/2962/

Thank you for your magazine and writings,

Brett

#35 reader comment - 12 June, 9:10 AM

John

Ever since I read the May issue of the “Design World” your article is bugging me.
Your article very nicely in line the destructive “Hollywood” left, an Un-American left may I add.
To start with you name some names of people whom are disgrace to the human race and to all who treasure freedom here in the USA.
Your leftist liberal intent is glaring when you dared to include in your bad guys list former president Nixon, but not mention Stalin and Moa. Since I presume that you are favoring “communism” to freedom it is obvious you should not write or even deserve to leave in this country. I’m a “Transplant” naturalized citizen and am proud to call the US of A my home.
An other point that frost me is that you and others in the Higher education circles, unit American university professors with their rhetoric discourages young people to go to colleges to learn some useful trades, under the influence of the political left they go to universities to prolong growing up and to indulge in drugs, alcohol and sex.
We have shortage of ambitious hard working people because many are to lazy to buckle down and work them selves up the lather of success.
By the way I’m an engineer and proud of it. I’m in my late seventies and still working full time, not because I have to but because I like my profession and the things I can devise.
my last advise to you is “if you cannot keep politics out of your writing” you bubble do not belong in a Technical Journal Tovarisch.

with disgust

Tibor D. Lody

#36 reader comment - 12 June, 9:10 AM

Dear John,

I have read your paper “Made in America – Not”. Thank you for your thoughts.

I feel the majority of US engineers will agree with you. However, nothing would change, until somebody (a person like you!) will step forward and establish a new movement: “American Engineers against Offshore Manufacturing”.

What do you think?

Best regards,

Dr. Andrei Chugunov, PhD

#37 reader comment - 12 June, 9:11 AM

We have evolved to this terrible state and now that middle America is experiencing some of the pain that our poor have endured for decades we are now concerned. I think that many of the problems we face are reinforced by our culture, which is going to be difficult to change. But I have a few suggestions:

1. In many parts of the U.S. water shortage is becoming critical. Why not have Design World conduct a contest whose goal is to create a low cost gray water recycling system for residential use. The shower water, kitchen water and even collected rain water could be stored in a large storage system used for watering plants, the lawn and maybe even washing the car. The amount of water we use for drinking and flushing is minimal compared to the wasted wash water.
2. Why not start a movement to have each state in the U.S. place on every election ballet an option for voters to allocate some percentage of their income or property tax for worthwhile projects such as provide jobs for underemployed or unemployed people to work in State or National Parks to restore them. Or instead, have check boxes on State and Federal ballots for allocation of tax funds and/or some percentage of a refund for very worthwhile projects that will fundamentally change the way we do things. An example would be funding massive recycling centers in areas where recycling is not routinely done. This is not the same as people doing it themselves, but it is also not waiting for government to “do something about the problem”. People would then have a stake in the successes and could motivate people to get more involved.
3. Energy is a huge issue lately. Solar may possibly be a partial solution, but at $30,000 an installation, it’s a rich man’s game. We need technology which allows everyone to participate in the solution. Why not do-it-yourself solar installations you can buy from Home Depot or Walmart? Even if the system only delivers 200 or 300 watts, if many people participated, it could make a big impact.

It is difficult for people to envision making a substantial change to the state of the system today, but if there are options people can choose which allow them to participate and feel good about their contribution, then individuals can make a difference.

Thanks for the thought provoking article.

Lee

#38 David Williams - 27 June, 10:41 AM

John,

I work in the softgel capsulation business. I’m actually the die designer that makes the capsules. I have received eleven U.S. Patents for softgel capsule design. And you would not believe how many softgel products are being manufactured in Argentina other South American locations. U.S. companies have been sending softgel technology around the world for cheaper labor prices and more laxed quality control practices. Turn-key operations have been sent to China for years now and who knows we maybe getting a little lead in our vitamins soon.

Good article John but I’m afraid greed is hard to fight.

#39 Geezer - 21 July, 6:48 AM

All those evil people you listed in your article, with the exception of Nixon, would agree with you that their country should be the source of all their manufacturing. Keeping the gold in their pockets. But wait that would imply that your concept of “make it in America” is evil. Take a look at the label on your shirt. Just how well do you follow your own ideals? Take a walk in the plant where your magizine is printed. Is the paper and ink made in America? Is the press made in America?
Do you speak for the Design World? I read from the Editorial Staff page, ” Design World does not pass judgement on subjects of controversy nor enter into disputes with or between any individuals or organizations.
NOT!

#40 designworld reader - 07 October, 9:28 AM

I have been thinking about the topic of why so called American Companies are exporting work to other countries. I believe the enablers of this practice are the internationalists who want a one world government. If Americans could regain control of our own government then we could approach the problem with THE GOOD TAX???

THE GOOD TAX

We have heard about the fair tax and the flat tax now it’s about time we hear about the good tax. Can a tax be good? Yes, I believe that it is possible. If there were a good tax it would significantly reduce our personal exposure to and control by the IRS. It would have to be simple enough to describe without a 10 volume tax code or even a book. To be a good tax it must be good for America. To be a good tax it would have to be able to be phased in without shocking the economy. The good tax is one that promotes American interests. It must be constitutional. The good tax would be a consumption tax. This would encourage saving.
The good tax is an import tax. Everything that comes into the country would be taxed. The tax payers would collectively pay the exact same amount that they do now. The good would be that it encourages American manufactures, farmers and miners etc. If a person from another country comes here to work then the tax would be taken from his salary in addition to any other tax that citizens pay. Companies that export goods out of the country would get a tax rebate that would be the same percentage as the import tax. To start the good tax a small percentage 5-10% would be taxed at the port of entry on all goods. The total dollar value of this tax would be subtracted from the total dollar amount of tax produced by income tax. The percentage rate of all tax brackets would be reduced the same percentage rate. Over time the import tax would be slowly raised until the total import tax is equal to the total amount that would have been produced by the present income tax. At this time the income tax would be eliminated, the IRS would be eliminated and the border patrol and customs would be strengthened to accommodate the taxing and security inspections that should be done on all imported items. This would be a good tax. It would cause America to prosper. This was the tax that the founders of our country used. It worked then and it will work now and in the future.

Another thing we can do is to promote invention . I have about 10 pages on this topic if you are interested.

Morgan Kizer

#41 designworld reader - 07 October, 9:31 AM

Hi John:

I loved your article. It was right on the mark!

Every time someone I know buys a import car,truck,lawn mower or whatever, I always say “Why didn’t you buy American? YOU are the reason this country is in dire straights. I keep on throwing digs at them so they will feel guilty. Maybe next time they will choose differently.

I always look for the made in USA tag.

#42 designworld reader - 07 October, 9:36 AM

read your article and saw such a commonality that I had to write. I find more qualified engineers looking for that quick answer “Solution”. It’s not that they can’t do it or lazy but they need a quick resolution. This is usually because of time constraints, products changes, new products or just investigation. Why not use your vendors to do your work, it’s one phone call, your off the hook, go to your next issue. Unfortunately it is by small “Solution” groups that are only talented in a small portion of the industrial field or maybe a distributor company. Don’t get me wrong, some of these guys may not have the answer but they have the talent to find out who does. That does have value.
As you said” Give them the tools” This includes the time to do the job they enjoy. They have to take short cuts relying on vendors and independent groups, usually getting burned. This is not by fault of the advise but the time constraint to do the job without all the knowledge of the project.
I have several “solutions” groups now that if I put them together I can build a bridge using Allen Bradley, air conditioning, chemical analysis and aerospace. A PLC controlled bridge with air and drugs going to space.
Not one could answer what the difference is between SCFM and ACFM.

I would like to write more but I’m due to a meeting…………………………Ya

Richard

#43 designworld reader - 07 October, 9:36 AM

ohn,

Just received the new “Design World” magazine and to answer your question you are 100% correct.

The offshore world is there due to the higher up management group that don’t realize their need for simple but “GREED”.

Give me more!

It is so real that sales managers will only pursue the projects that are high volume which means high dollar.

Even if the product only lasts for 6 or 9 months. Don’t bother with the items that last years.

They need the BIG numbers to show on there “year end reports”.

Bonnie and Clyde are still alive, just hiding behind a big corporate sign.

And yes you can use this on your blog – I dare anyone to disagree with it.

Thanks again,

Ken McCarthy