BELDEN, Miss. (WTVA)–Is it time for your company to reshore? That’s a question members of the Mississippi “Make It In America” Team brought to area manufactures Wednesday during a workshop.
“We’ve lost a lot of manufacturing jobs over the last 14 to 15 years,” said Joe Jordan, Innovation Practice Manger.
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The overall goal of the workshop, sponsors say, is to encourage companies to at least look at the idea of bringing business operations back to the U.S.
“There is really a lot more cost in offshoring jobs than originally realized. I think a lot of companies [viewed] moving to China as a slam dunk orginally, that they could get a much lower labor cost and a lower cost of product,” said Jordan.
But, according to Jordan, offshoring can come with some hidden dollar signs.
“Some of them [are] obvious transportation, communications, things like that. Some of them are not so obvious things, like political risk,” said Jordan.
Sponsors say they are in the beginning stages of the statewide “Make It In America” initiative. In fact, Wednesday was only the second workshop of its kind sponsored by the group. But, over the next three years, similar workshops will be held throughout the Magnolia State.
“We want companies to make wise business decisions, but I think if we can get companies to look at bringing jobs back and production back. There is a certain benefit to that we can all hopefully realize in improving the lives of all Mississippians,” he said.
Another Mississippi “Making It In America,” workshop is scheduled for Thursday.