Made in America

[Racer26]

Originally Posted by noceradave

For various reasons, most of the respondents of this poll agree with each other that we should continue buying large amounts of imported parts to teach robotics to future engineers. Most CEOs would agree with you, buying imported parts is generally faster and cheaper than purchasing more expensive components manufactured at America's higher wages.

CEOs can get more product out the door and thus more profit using imported parts, just like we can get more robot into the bag mirroring that same corporate approach, the same approach that outsources technology jobs. Like a flu vaccine, is the cure also a modified version of the disease? This is certainly interesting to say the least.

You are still implying that buying parts manufactured overseas necessarily sends technology jobs away. It does not. There will always be a need for smart people to perform technology jobs everywhere. When they are performing tasks that are better suited to being done by robots or cheaper labour via outsourcing, their talent is being wasted. They could instead be advancing the technology, developing new solutions.

You seem to have a very "Detroit Three" view of how manufacturing should be done. The Japanese car manufacturers have been producing cars of similar quality to the Detroit Three for many years. By doing so more efficiently, utilizing technology to replace menial labour, and outsourcing the production of parts where it is efficient to do so, the Japanese manufacturers are consistently able to sell their cars cheaper than the Detroit Three. It is only recently that they're starting to adopt similar manufacturing models.

We have the technology today to manufacture automobiles in an almost entirely automated fashion using robots. The talents of the people assembling them in factories around the world are largely being wasted in the name of protecting their jobs.

I can only imagine the progress humanity could make if those people were being utilized to their fullest potential.