America first, with Germany’s help

Handelsblatt ^ | January 7, 2018 | Christopher Cermak, Tim Rahmann and Harald Schumacher

[GonzoII]

Donald Trump wants more companies — foreign and domestic — to produce goods in the United States. We spoke to German companies already in the US about whether they’ll take the bait.

Jim Sheak remembers the good old days when Akron, Ohio, was a major manufacturing hub. The tire company Goodyear was founded here back in 1898, giving it the nickname Rubber City. Then, one by one in the past three decades, Goodyear and companies like it reduced their presence or pulled out entirely. Akron, like many Rust Belt cities, was left with empty factories and a shrinking population.

Ironically, that’s exactly what made Akron an attractive town for Roechling, a German car supplier that opened its second North American plant here in 2012. Not only does Akron sit close to major carmakers in Detroit and Indiana, which Roechling supplies, but it came with a hungry and skilled workforce, such as Mr. Sheak, who is now a plant manager.

[GonzoII]

Good article..sticking to business and not “cheeseburgers in bed”.

[RitaOK]

Great post!

Darned nice to see the FR main page get a little attention from those who can post, putting up meaningful and informative stories, instead of off somewhere else in private rooms.

[GonzoII]

Thank you mam.

[Last Dakotan]

While business remains good, he wonders “what kind of social and political environment I’m working in.” A few months back, a Canadian technician who flies in regularly for maintenance work was suddenly stuck for hours at immigration. Border agents now seem to consider keeping foreign skilled workers out of the country as part of their jobs, he complained.

Have they considering hiring or training an American for regular maintenance work?

[pabianice]

NCR made Dayton. Then NCR missed the move to electronic cash registers and closed most of its factories and Dayton collapsed. There is no NCR anymore, nor Dayton. In the late 70s it looked like Berlin in 1945.