Warning: Bump in the Road for Local Manufacturing

by | Nov 14, 2019 | Manufacturing | 0 comments

My friend John van Saders reminded me that I have used Addidas Robotics as a Foundation for the premise that Manufacturing is moving closer to demand. (And away from supply with low cost labor and materials).
It appears that Addidas has succumbed to direct financial pressure to reverse the trend. The US must embrace robotics and re-train for the skills needed to deploy, manager, maintain and enhance their value.

This is a wake-up call for two issues:

  1. We must close the skills gap on NEW manufacturing skills that we have misunderstood and offshored for so long and
  2. Understand how to embrace new manufacturing techniques of customization, but more importantly, how to market and sell that to consumers.

There are still great examples where manufacturing closer to demand really works. Look at all the BMW X series cars that are made in the Carolinas mainly for the US market.

I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

Automated factories were seen as an alternative to overseas labor

https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/13/20962688/adidas-robotic-speedfactories-ansbach-germany-atlanta-usa-athletic-shoes

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Adidas to end robotic shoe production in Germany and the US

theverge.com

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