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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Some China firms outsourcing to USA to cut costs

Now this is a little bit interesting - don't you think?!

An article in the LA Times this week on businesses from China bargain-hunting on operational costs by outsourcing to the USA:
Liu Keli couldn't tell you much about South Carolina, not even where it is in the United States. It's as obscure to him as his home region, Shanxi province, is to most Americans.

But Liu is investing $10 million in the Palmetto State, building a printing-plate factory that will open this fall and hire 120 workers. His main aim is to tap the large American market, but when his finance staff penciled out the costs, he was stunned to learn how they compared with those in China.

Liu spent about $500,000 for seven acres in Spartanburg -- less than one-fourth what it would cost to buy the same amount of land in Dongguan, a city in southeast China where he runs three plants. U.S. electricity rates are about 75% lower, and in South Carolina, Liu doesn't have to put up with frequent blackouts.

Craftsman's $8600 everything tool kit



This $8600, 1470 piece Craftsman tool set contains more pieces of precision metal than I could possibly use -- but it sure looks purdy all laid out there, doesn't it?