Long Rant incoming…
At the turn of the 19th Century, during the industrial revolution, a gentleman by the name of Henry Ford changed the manufacturing world.
The advent of the Assembly line - In 1913 Ford produced about 60,000 Model T’s. Just one year later, 400,000.
This ideal and concept were shared throughout the United States and we became the leader Globally. This concept helped carry us roughly 3 decades through World War 2. Essentially we were able to produce “Products” at the same rate or faster than the “Enemies” could destroy them. A war of attrition basically.
After the 2nd World War, the United States was sitting high on the hog. But with any of our foreign policies, once we destroy you, we help rebuild you.
In the 1950s is where we start to see the decline of US manufacturing. Against warning from several professionals, we decided to stay the course. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” was/is a US mentality we have had for a long time.
During the rebuilding phase of Japan, there was a lot of “Sharing” of the manufacturing process. This sharing really opened their eyes. Due to their cultural differences, and getting beaten, their philosophy was “If it’s not broken, How do we make it better?”
Over the next 20-30 years, the Asian Markets took this to heart. Japan, after attaining the new “World Class Manufacturing” status, fired most of its upper-tier personnel. These people were “Ordered” to go work for competing companies. Why? They didn’t want to repeat the mistake the US did. They wanted “Friendly Competition” as motivation to keep striving for excellence.
Working and Refining their systems. By the 1980s, the United States could not compete. It wasn’t just the cost of “Labor” but how efficiently and quickly items could be made with minimum defects.
An example is the tariff that was placed on Asian foreign cars coming into the country. If the Manufacturers could sell their cars at a normal profit, it would have undercut the US manufacturers tremendously. We would all be driving foreign cars.
In the same example - the defect rate (Manufacturer Defects) is severely lower in the Asian Market than with any other global manufacturer.
While these Manufacturing Systems are known and shared (Toyota Production System, Lean, Six Sigma, Defect Elimination, etc.) The United States has been trying to play catch up for decades. A lot of our industries have just given up.
We now see “Designed in America” for example, but not fabricated.
At one time in this Country (USA), American Made “Did” mean something in comparison to other alternatives. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. Only in certain exceptions will you find this still true. Niche Markets, not High Output type situations.
I could expand on this more, but I think this is enough for now. Thanks for reading.