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From Home Furnishing Business
Bringing Jobs Back to U.S. Daunting
June 26,
2014 by in Economic News, Industry
Stanley Furniture is featured in a story by the Wall Street Journal that examines the challenges companies face when looking to boost domestic production.
Some small and midsize companies that brought manufacturing back to the U.S. in recent years have found it a bumpy road.
Shortages of skilled workers is a common problem, as are difficulties navigating complex regulatory systems that govern modern American manufacturing.
But there are other challenges as well.
For example, crib maker Stanley Furniture Co. misjudged the willingness of Americans to pay more for domestically produced goods when cheaper imports are available. Meanwhile, the husband-and-wife entrepreneurs who founded 20-year-old Chesapeake Bay Candle have struggled to find workers who can do basic math.
More than 80 percent of companies bringing work back to the U.S. have $200 million or less in sales, according to the Reshoring Initiative, a nonprofit that encourages companies to return production to the U.S. Many supply parts to bigger companies or, if they sell directly to consumers, are seeking to cut out lengthy supply chains from Asia.
But big companies have the resources and experience to hopscotch around the globe. It's harder and riskier for small firms to do the same.
Read Entire Story Source: The Wall Street Journal