Hi Bazz,

Yes, if we had any overseas manufacturing interests that we could repatriate, now would be the time.

Not sure I can think of any though? Any nominations?

You missed the point, or did you ?;
The US is not so much repatriating their own firms but not using
overseas manufacturers.
What we would do is put the importers out of work by manufacturing
locally.
That is what we are doing in furniture manufacturing here and now.

Bazz importers can become manufacturers if they so wish. At the same time, importers employ a fraction of the labor, & in many instances user up foreign exchange better used on something more productive than domestic furniture & equipment.

All too often manufacturers are forced to become importers, by the costs of local production, & competition from those who choose to be importers. I hated it. When I first saw my companies import volume exceed our export volume I felt physically sick. I could see the future of our kids disappearing overseas, because of stupid government decisions.

I used to be the technical service officer for a plastics raw material supplier. I used to help the design & manufacturing staff, & even marketing staff, of 7 different TV manufacturers. Most of these produced radios & many other appliances, all in Sydney.

I dealt with 5 refrigerator manufacturers, 5 washing machine manufacturers, & a dozen producing small to medium appliances. The employment in the manufacturing of these goods was in the thousands, before you went into their distribution activities.

They are all gone now, replaced by a few importers. many of those workers are never going to be paper shufflers in some public service office, they need real jobs, not make believe.

hasbeen..i recall those days..[when tariff protection]
allowed us to make things[at twice the price]..so yes we could afford to make them..but were stuck paying top shelf price.

few may recall..that italy/germany..after DEFEAT*..ww2
both were set up according to their strengths..italy making the exclusivehigh price junk..germany the machines..of mass production...and big infrastructure machines..[to rebuild that destroyed by war]

the japs fit in there with the making of junk quality
that eventually became better..but not great..thing is we got enough junk

and its far cheaper to buy better quality elsewhere
far better if we taught..kids to fix/repair..[like soling shoes..or fixing a broken heating element..or improved hard drive..[ie keep in good repair..the stuff we use a few times..[or once]..then throway

WHY DO WE LET THE WORKMANS TOOLS OF TRADE GO OS?
in..the old days tradesmen..got a sack..
with which to carry their TOOLS home in

ok
if gm..goes
the machines stay!

put an EXPORT..tarrif
on the machines..classified as recyclables..
when big business runs overseas..*with their machines..

effectively..*paid for via..too generous tax write/off claims..at tax times..

thanks be due to..govt favor/collusion/bribe [ie corporate welfare]..subsidies and favorable terms...mates rates and treaties

let the tradesman retain their tools
let their tools dis-assemble..that THEIR TOOLS BUILT*

the future work..will be collating..and locating
where our money went....some call it a judgment day..others simply the judgment..how much money..is too much?

in the end..its not the cash/asset that sets our worth
but what you chose to do with it..when you did

What Under God has not taken into account is that it was manufacturing
that trained those Mr Fixit tradesmen with their bag of tools.
Remember the time when even the local radio shop would take in all
sorts of appliances for repair.
I cut my electrical teeth as a teenager in one of those shops every
saturday morning.

I guess that is why I cringe everytime I see a toaster with a burntout
element on the nature strip.

If we started to repair everything instead of buying new there are not
enough competitent people to do the job.
It will take many years to train such a large group.
So, the question is how do we transition to such a state ?

If we do not do it in a planned way, it will be thrust upon us by the
cost of international transport and wages making imports too expensive.
As I have mentioned previously this has already started a few years
back in the US with steel and furniture and now with many other things.
Furniture is an obvious place to start which is why most furniture
is manufactured here. The bulk of it is costly to ship.

So how do we start ? If it is to be planned then the pollies will
have to be convinced of the inevitability of it all.
However they show no signs of being awake. I suspect Barnaby Joyce
understands but dare not speak its name.

Hasbeen, if you were dictator, how would you handle it?

<<..manufacturing..that trained those Mr Fixit tradesmen with their bag of tools>>

not so..
if you recall any..'production'..line
they consist of robotic humans..just welding..
or just painting..or just putting in the dash..or just ensuring the badge sits in the right spot..etc

its not like every true tradesman..MUST have 3 apprentices
or when the blacksmith..WROUGHT METAL..or the carpenter made furniture..factories do mundane repeating work..hence so many robots..who collectively..'make'..a car or computer...

but really most..only*know their little bit..
[ie not trained holistically..only specifically/generally]
[ie no transferable skill base..like say a baker or a butcher or even scandal stiche'..MAKER*]

we need generalist trade people
not specialists..who only know how to make buggy whips

we need to decentralize
then set up bakers/farmers/stock man.barbers.handymen
who OWN..the fruit of their labor*..as well as their TOOLS of trade/licences..franchises/working locally..serving the local need on their turf.