20120206 Follow Me 271 Companies attracted to US again as Asia loses its edge

是 否 +2 论坛币

k人 参与回答

经管之家送您一份

应届毕业生专属福利!

求职就业群

赵安豆老师微信：zhaoandou666

经管之家联合CDA

送您一个全额奖学金名额~ !

立即领取

感谢您参与论坛问题回答

经管之家送您两个论坛币！

+2 论坛币

2012年01月19日 07:13 AM分析：美国制造业为何“回春”？ Companies attracted to US again as Asia loses its edge
英国《金融时报》 艾德•克鲁克斯 纽约报道

Bruce Cochrane’s family furniture business illustrates what may be the start of a US industrial renaissance. His story also offers insights into the opportunities and the pitfalls facing manu-facturers wanting to build up their US production.	布鲁斯•科克伦(Bruce Cochrane)家族家具生意的重新开张，说明美国工业或许已经开始踏上复兴之路。他本人的经历也有助于使人们了解，打算在美国进行生产的制造商面临什么样的机遇和挑战。
The Cochranes were in the furniture business for five generations, employing more than 1,000 people in the early 1980s. But by 1996 the going had become too hard and they decided to sell. Under the new owners, their factory in Lincolnton, North Carolina was closed, the equipment was dismantled and prod-uction was moved to Asia.	科克伦家族前后有五代人经营家具生意，在上世纪80年代初有过1000多名雇员。但到1996年，由于处境艰难，他们决定卖掉公司。落入新东家之手后，他们位于北卡罗来纳州林肯顿的工厂被关闭了，设备被拆卸下来，生产被转移到了亚洲。
Mr Cochrane worked for 12 years as an import consultant, advising companies on how to source furniture from Asia to sell in the US. But by last year, he had come to the view it was viable to make furniture in the US again, even against competition from China.	科克伦当了12年的进口咨询师，为美国企业提供如何从亚洲进口家具的建议。但去年他意识到，重新在美国生产家具是可行的，即使面对来自中国的竞争。
“Back in 2000, the average wage in China was about 50 cents an hour; now it’s $3.50,” he says.	“在2000年的时候，中国的平均工资大约是一小时50美分，但现在是3.5美元。”
Non-wage costs have also risen in China. The Chinese authorities have become “much more aggressive” about environmental regulation, he adds. Taking into account the higher productivity of US workers, and shipping costs, the competitive advantage of Asian manufacturing was disappearing, he said.	中国的非工资性成本也上涨了。他表示，中国当局在环境监管方面变得“明显更加严厉”。再考虑到美国工人生产率较高和运输成本这两项因素，实际上亚洲制造业的竞争优势正在逐渐消失。
So last year, he announced that Lincolnton Furniture would open up production of high-quality wooden beds, tables chairs and cabinets in his family business’s old plant. “The ‘Made in the USA’ label is more important now than it’s ever been. People are looking for American made,” he says. “I’m convinced that our timing is exceptionally good.”	于是他在去年宣布，林肯顿家具公司(Lincolnton Furniture)将开始在科克伦家族企业的旧工厂里，生产高档木质床、桌、椅和柜子等产品。“眼下，‘美国制造’标签的重要性胜于以往任何时候，人们正在到处寻找美国制造的商品。”布鲁斯•科克伦表示，“我确信，我们的时机非常好。”
He is not alone in that view. Plenty of economists and business leaders believe that US manufac-turing is entering an upturn that is not just a bounce-back after the recession, but a sign of a longer-term structural improvement. Manufacturing employment has grown faster in the US since the recession than in any other leading dev-eloped economy, according to official figures. Prod-uctivity growth, subdued wages, the steady decline in the dollar since 2002 and rapid pay inflation in emerging economies have combined to make the US a more attractive location.	抱着这种看法的不只是科克伦一人。许多经济学家和企业领袖都认为，美国制造业正进入上升期，这不仅是衰退过后的一次反弹，更是长期结构性改进的一个迹象。根据官方数据，自从衰退以来，美国制造业就业人数的增长就快于其他任何一个主要发达经济体。生产力增长、工资低迷、美元自2002年以来持续走弱、以及新兴经济体工资急剧上涨等因素，都增强了美国作为生产地的吸引力。
“Over the past decade, the US has had some huge gains in productivity, and we have seen unit labour costs actually falling,” says Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers. “A lot of our members tell us that it sometimes is cheaper to produce in the US, especially because labour costs are lower.”	“在过去10年里，美国在生产力方面实现了极大的提升，我们看到单位劳动成本实际上是下降的。”美国全国制造商协会(National Association of Manufacturers)首席经济学家查德•穆特雷(Chad Moutray)表示，“我们的许多成员告诉我们，有时候在美国生产还更加便宜，特别是因为劳动力成本有所下降。”
The competitiveness of US production has been reflected in the past couple of years in job creation announcements from Ford, GM, Caterpillar and many others. President Barack Obama recently called it a “hopeful trend”.	过去几年，美国产品的竞争力反映在了福特汽车(Ford)、通用汽车(GM)、卡特彼勒(Caterpillar)及其他许多美国制造商的就业创造声明中。美国总统巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)最近称之为一种“鼓舞人心的趋势”。
But, Mr Cochrane high-lights a problem that faces many manufacturers in the US. Although there were many unemployed former furniture workers in Lincolnton, many did not know how to use the latest equipment. “People have to be retrained for the new machinery,” he says.	然而，科克伦强调了一个很多美国制造商面临的问题。尽管在林肯顿工厂有很多失业的前家具公司雇员，但其中很多人不知道如何使用最新的设备。他表示：“人们不得不就新机器接受再培训。”
It is a common refrain from US employers; the flipside of the improvement in productivity. Modern factories are highly sophisticated, using automation and other advanced technology. This enables them to compete against producers in China while still paying much higher wages. The result, however, is that they need fewer people, and they tend to be more highly skilled.	这是美国雇主经常发出的抱怨；是生产力提高的另一面。使用自动化和其它先进技术的现代工厂高度复杂。这让它们得以在仍支付高得多的工资的同时，与中国厂商展开竞争。但结果是，它们需要更少的员工，而他们往往要具备更高的技能。
Mei Xu is a Chinese-born entrepreneur who has become a standard bearer for “re-shoring” production in the US. Chesapeake Bay Candles, her company, employs about 120 of its 2,000 staff in factories in Maryland and California.	徐梅是一位在中国出生的企业家，她已成为生产“回岸”(re-shoring)到美国的领军人物。她的公司千诗碧可(Chesapeake Bay Candles)拥有2000名员工，其中约120人位于马里兰和加州的工厂。
At a meeting at the White House last week to discuss what the admin-istration has dubbed “in-sourcing”, she stressed the need for workers with the right skills and aptitudes.	上周在白宫召开的一次讨论美国ZF称之为“内包”(in-sourcing)的会议上，她强调了对具备良好技能和资质的员工的需求。
“We really need high school kids to get some vocational training,” she says. “They need the skills to be able to work in a factory that is entirely automated. Workers in their 50s may be willing to work, but may not have the computer skills to use the technology.”	“我们确实需要中学生接受一些职业培训，”她表示。“他们需要具备能够在一个完全自动化的工厂工作的技能。50多岁的员工也许愿意工作，但可能不具备操控技术的电脑技能。”
James Guyette, the chief executive for North America of Rolls-Royce, the aero engine company, who was also at the White House meeting, agrees that “the education system must improve”.	航空发动机公司罗尔斯•罗伊斯(Rolls-Royce)北美首席执行官詹姆斯•盖伊特(James Guyette)认为，“教育体系必须改善”。盖伊特也参加了白宫的那次会议。
Rolls-Royce is creating about 600 highly skilled jobs in the US, but has cut some lower-skilled ones, so the net gain in its employment is lower.	罗尔斯•罗伊斯公司正在美国新增约600个高技能工作，但也削减了一些技术含量较低的工作，因此该公司员工数量的净增长是降低了。
Mr Guyette warns that however strong the recovery, the labour market will never return to what it was. “Many of the jobs that have been lost in this country are never coming back,” he says. “And those are the low-skilled jobs.”	盖伊特警告称，不管复苏势头有多么强劲，劳动力市场永远无法回到过去的状态。“美国丧失的很多工作永远不会回来，”他表示，“那些都是低技能的工作。”
	译者/何黎

扫码加我 拉你入群

请注明：姓名-公司-职位

以便审核进群资格，未注明则拒绝

分享0 收藏0 回帖

关键词：Companies Companie attract Compani follow 美国 新浪微博 industrial furniture business

Skilled workers are welcomed by factories who can program and solve problems by their own judgements after reading data shown on the screen of machines. It really takes some time and even after education, it still takes some time to try to operate a particular machine to manufacture a specific kind of product. Generally speaking, the test and trial stage is often operated by engineers, who set up the optimum procedure to manufacture one product, and instruct the front line workers in details. The workers only have to put in the roughcast, clip it with jigs, press relative buttons and wait to take out the finished product. In other words, they can learn to operate a machine in ten minutes on the basis that every procedure has been programmed and saved.

By analogy, an accountant may not be professional, but he/she can record entries correctly in scheduled time, on the basis the chief has told him/her how to do it in detail. Maybe the only thing he/she should change is the date and the amount, although he/she doesn't know anything about entries.

It's the right time to invest in the States.

And those are the low-skilled jobs

That's why many Chinese producing enterprises shift their factories in less-developed countries.
Multi-skilled/versatile employees are important resources for every companies.
Incidentally, well-organized essay.. thumbs-up

labour is the most important power in the development of China ！However，with the development of science and technology，the ability to use the advanced technology is becoming more and more important ，especially in 21 century.Now facing the transmission of structure  ,dealing with the labour and technology is the hardest problem for Chinese Government .Therefore, to improve the structure is very important for Chinese Government ,which is vital for Zhu SanJiao areas! Learn from the developed coutries,do our best!

After reading the article ,I think of a question: Is professional good or all-around good ?

When China is developing the service industry energetically today, the developed countries turn to attach great importance to the development of manufacturing industry. It's really an interesting contrast.

Domestic consumption of China seems to be more important now!

Follow Me: 270, 233
怎么感觉中国在“帮助”美国进行产业结构调整啊。