Drifting apart

摘要

U.S.-made products have become a melting pot of parts and materials. The reason is offshoring, and U.S. manufacturers show no signs of slowing their spending on imports. U.S. manufacturers report on average imports comprised 11.2% of their dollars spent on materials and components in 2005, according to responses from 466 plants surveyed for the 2005 IW/MPI Census of Manufacturers. That's up from an average imported material/component spend of 7.8% (based on 440 plants responding) reported in the 2002 IW/MPI Census. Of course, the big story in recent years has been the China factor. Of 464 plants responding, the average dollar volume spent in 2005 on Chinese materials/components was 4.7%, up from 2.3% in 2002 when 440 plants responded. But overseas outsourcing and sourcing isn't limited to China. A great deal is taking place in South America, India and Canada, says Colin Masson, research director for manufacturing operations at Boston-based AMR Research.