Trump's plan to revive US manufacturing faces reality check
發佈日期: 2025-06-01 20:22
TVB News
The tariff war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump is aimed at bringing factories back to America.
But manufacturers say the cost of making goods in America remains prohibitively high.
One U.S. lighting company is now exploring a new strategy: setting up a joint factory alongside other companies to share the financial burden and risks.
Behind the glow and sparkles of the iconic San Francisco skyline, many light bulbs and fluorescent tubes illuminating the towers are made in China.
In California, this smart lighting company relies heavily on Chinese-made parts.
To reduce risks, its president, Margaret Wong, says they're planning to bring some of its production back to the U.S., and team up with around 10 industry peers to build a joint factory in Texas or Tennessee.
Margaret said the costs would be too high for small businesses to set up a manufacturing base on their own.
She said U.S.-made parts are still some 30 percent pricier than Chinese imports with levies.
But she said local production can save on inventory costs, so U.S. parts could still be competitive.
But not every business owner is as optimistic.
The manager of this dim sum factory in Los Angeles said despite the help of machines, each "siu mai" still requires manual wrapping.
Kelvin Wong said blue-collar labour is increasingly hard to find in the U.S., with people preferring to drive Uber.
He said it's mostly new immigrants working here but the Trump administration has been barring their residency.
Noodle factory owner Tom Tong has been running the business for more than 40 years.
He said with workers' insurance, fire coverage and other expenses -- they all add up.
Tong added that building a factory in America can take years, worrying that by the time a U.S. plant is finally built, the government policy may have already shifted.
