Here are two sources of information from the WSJ and a post by Mish Shedlock featuring a piece in The Fiscal Times regarding the announcement by Apple to begin making a small portion of Mac computers here in the states. With a $100M dollar investment, Apple plans to relaunch part of it's manufacturing operations here in the states although locations have not been disclosed.
Having just released a post regarding the rise of automation and a flux of manufacturing coming back to the states, Apple's move plays right along these same lines. Rising labor costs in China, higher transportation costs, and shorter supply chain lines to the consumer, are all factors playing into this resurgence of manufacturing coming back to the states.
However, none of this would be at all possible without the rise of the machines. The ability for a robot to do the job s of what used to be 3 or more people is at the heart of this renaissance. As we have continued to point out although this means less manufacturing jobs per say, it does increase the need for a highly skilled worked force to maintain the machines. But if you go step further, this increase in commerce also aids the communities where these businesses are supporting schools with higher tax revenues and by supporting other local businesses. So while there may indeed be less jobs than before there should be an overall pickup in economic activity.
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