Manufacturing Divison

1. Would be a killer name for a band.

2. Shit, I was going to write all about how we, as a society, really do not understand how things are made in the world today - unless you are part of that process yourself, but now I also think WMC needs a "Division for manufacturing division", now I'm singing in my head "we could build a factory, and make misery" - alright somebody beat me to that punch, back to my plan...

I read recently about how entire villages in China are devoted to the manufacture of one, or a small number of, very low cost/ low value expendables, and how with scale and modern design and engineering the final shipped cost can be pennies, with millions of dollars made over fractional efficiencies. 

I have worked in American manufacturing for a good chunk of my adult life, from medical devices to vegetarian food and candles. In my experience, we are not in the same sport.  I watched folks at my company make steel tools by hand, one at a time - to be sold from the back of branded trucks for 10x the price of a similar tool from overseas.  At the time it was almost an easy choice too - because the quality wasn't the same.  China was creating garbage tools with garbage steel using poor automation, no quality control and no hope of competing.

Fast forward 20 years - There is a tiny village likely in China near some water with maybe only 10 million people.  This village and its entire economic model and base is devoted to a 3" pin punch, just one of the catalog from my "american" brand. Using public data, an insanely deep well of talented engineers, government support and fear of death by hunger , they can make this punch for about $0.23 USD.  They will be able to make an essentially unlimited amount of this tool at this price - in fact, the more they make, the lower the total cost. With friendly global taxation rules and very few guards watching, an entire 50ft container can be filled with this one tool and fulfill America's need for the next 5 years.  The tool is, I'm reticent to say, probably better than ours at this point.

They have 3,000 engineers, to our "Steve".

They have Government backing and guidance, to our "Steve".

They buy steel from around the world at bulk prices, while we buy from a few distributors at near retail.

They have 10M hungry mouths to feed, to our social services and communities of care that leave us even more hungry and alone.

What of it, do we lament the death of a job? Jobs suck. Jobs have always sucked. That's why they call it work. The poor bastard making your tools would much rather have been doing almost anything else, I promise you. 

China makes tools better than America now, and cheaper, and in enough volume to fulfill our need, and sadly - at least for now - the people of China accept their situation and may even agree with their national plan.

Where does that leave us?

Our builders and fixers and hand-tool users get a better tool for a much lower price. Our box truck drivers lose their badging and start pissing in bottles for Amazon.

The village in China eats.  We eat. I like when people eat.

I live in a part of America where our manufacturing, real, not artisanal, has suffered a slow and agonizing death for longer than I've been on the planet in this form. Literal buggy whips and silverware and guns and "stick 'em to the Green River".

What are you gonna do about it, cry? 

Seems like a waste of time to me, and if you thought that's what this little script was about, you are wrong. Wronger than the time my brother said a skyscraper was a type of airplane, not building.  But then again, that may have been my side of the argument, and I still think I'm right, Todd.

What did I do?
I got a girl pregnart while in high school and got the fuck to working.

When one job didn't pay the bills, I got two. When that didn't work, I worked two and studied and applied. I hunted for doors that I could pry open if it took broken fingers and busted nails and resumes stretched like cling film over two day old pancake batter turning all brown watery at top.

But, don't ask me. I'm OUT. I got out.

Read Siddhartha.

Don't be a jerk and accuse me of calling myself the buddha - you know that's not what I meant, only that your path is yours and you can't learn your own way by watching someone else go or allowing them to lead you.

If you make things because you love making things, continue to make things. You may die of starvation. Artists put up with it when we didn't care about them, now that we don't care about anyone, we're all in the same dinghy.

If you were making things to collect a check to go buy beer and weed and play video games and watch instant grandma and now your factory is closing, I'm sorry but it's not a tragedy for anyone involved. Unless you had found your purpose and had achieved full grace with 1/8 and Mortal Kombat, in that case - this is in fact a tragedy and I am so very sorry for your loss.

In short, 

America can't make stuff anymore that is economically competitive anywhere, even at home.

America shouldn't really try unless they really want to make stuff for the fun of it.
America should quit pissing and moaning and go about building the next road.

Forgive me for guessing it's not through the internet.