Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes
That's the fallacy, that our strength is in manufacturing or that we'll somehow be able to compete with the world market and emerging economies/countries. Of course, if we choose to not play on the world market, then technology and prosperity pass us up and are granted on the nations that fill the need. We will never be able to make a widget the cheapest, someone will always come along that do do it better, faster, more efficiently, etc. Our strength is in developing the technology and the processes. It's a balance, because if we just isolate, we end up with the US crap that was being made 30 years ago. It's just not sustainable to have our own manufacturing for everything, when it'll be undercut by much of the world. Then we get to where we have to artificially sustain the industry with tax dollars, etc... You CAN take supply-chain and "just in time" too far, which is part of what we are seeing, but the people that think we are just going to start making a bunch of widgets or microprocessors in-country when they are available abroad is just fantasy.
Anyway, the chip shortage has affected some automakers gravely...some are not affected. Shortage abounds due to lack of supply, the ones that have supply trying to fill the abscess created by the ones that have none.
|
I didn't say we should take the lead in manufacturing these chips. The fact we don't have an alternative is shameful. There are fab plants here in the US. Micron has if I recall two plants. One of them is in Manassas Virginia where I've visited personally. Spending the money to ensure at least some fab capability in the US seems way cheaper than all the lost revenue from product sitting because it's missing one component.