Popular in other countries, lubrication outsourcing could find its way to North America as a turnkey solution to precision machine lubrication. OUTSOURCING HAS BECOME A POPULAR IDEA IN RECENT YEARS - AND NOT NECESSARILY IN A GOOD WAY. Wikipedia describes outsourcing as the contracting of a business function to an external provider. Outsourcing has many different monikers, including offshoring, nearshoring, multisourcing and contracting. The manufacturing of goods involving a significant amount of low-skill labor such as clothing has been the subject of strong business and political debate since the practice became accepted in the early 70s. In recent years this business strategy has expanded to include services for general business functions, including payroll, information-technology systems and maintenance. Outsourcing creates fewer clamors when shifted out as a measure for cost control or quality improvement and, as a consequence, is less politically divisive for management and labor. Division does occur when the high priority and highly protected union work roles are lost to outsourcing.
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