Manufacturing Noises

[Geee]

American Spectator:

General Electric, a huge conglomerate, may be in the forefront of the movement. Overall the company cut U.S. jobs when the recession hit, but has added 9,000 since 2009 and plans to add 4,500 or more this year.

Among its products are jet engines (it's the world's largest manufacturer of them). It has announced it will open three new engine factories this year, in Ohio, Mississippi and Alabama. When, last December, GE announced the opening of a new X-ray machine plant in China, many worried that the 120 workers in its Wisconsin plant would lose their jobs. GE says, no, tit wasn't a zero-sum matter. The China plant is expansion in that market -- not an outsourcing of U.S. jobs.

Last week GE opened a new appliance plant in Louisville, Kentucky to meet increased demand for energy-efficient water heaters and refrigerators. The company says it will create 1,300 new jobs there by 2014.

A smaller conglomerate, Carlisle Companies, makes restaurant supplies, insulation and tires.

It has announced it will open two new U.S. plants and bring its tire manufacturing back from China.

Union Pacific plans to double its purchase of locomotives this year, spending $400 million or so to buy them. Boeing says it added 10,000 jobs last year in U.S. plants to fill airline customer orders for new 737s and the much-delayed 787.

Caterpillar is closing a locomotive plant in Canada and bringing the work into a U.S. plant where wages are lower and productivity higher.