Great read on reshoring MFG back to the U.S. How about Kalamazoo?
https://lnkd.in/egYj59tU
Remember, Kzoo was once the MFG domain for Checker cabs, Gibson guitars, Kalamazoo stoves, Shakespeare fishing rods & reels, & the Roamer automobile. Parchment paper, made from vegetable byproducts (also in Kzoo).
Your covid vaccine & booster was likely made in Kzoo at Pfizer’s largest MFG facility in the world.
Can Kzoo Lure New Factories? https://lnkd.in/ejEwDhh
Selling points include:
1. Access to trade skills through a world class community college (KVCC).
2. I-94 has been widened through Kzoo.
3. Kzoo is equi-distant from the tool & die industry (South bend & GR, & also Detroit & Chicago, & a gateway to Canada). 131 to GR has been developed & there will be a bypass to South Bend. A factory would need quick & easy access to such tooling & equipment suppliers.
4. A LACK of UAW/union presence & culture. Metro Detroit is close by but we are not Metro Detroit & we also have a much more diversified economy. We are a Right to Work state (2013).
5. Good supply of homes all over the area for future employees & the Kzoo Promise (100% free college for their kids).
6. Kzoo is routinely ranked as having the best quality of life & low cost of living balance.
7. A conveniently located regional airport that has been expanded.
8. An easily accessible railway system.
9. Several business parks that do/could house logistics services (e.g., warehousing, distribution, transportation, etc.).
10. An abundance of cheap real estate located closely to I-94, 131, railways, business parks, & the airport.
11. Most suppliers would likely be located VERY close by.
12. A local & state government that is becoming more tax friendly.
Given the growth of several orgs & need for future investment in the largest economy in the world (U.S.A.), could Kzoo lure some of that investment (e.g., a new car or battery plant)? WMU has ranked programs in world class mfg techniques. In fact, our Supply Chain & Engineering Mgmt majors build upon world class mfg techniques (we even lean 6 sigma certify our students). Orgs could benefit greatly by recruiting our students for positions related to SCM. Both the business & engineering colleges are accredited & serve employers with numerous fields of specialization (e.g., human resources, accounting, finance, sales, SCM, engineering, etc.). We also have an accredited MBA program that is very convenient for full-time workers in the area from companies such as Stryker, Denso, Kellogg, Pfizer, Flowserve, Whirlpool, etc., and potentially a new company in town. They could benefit immensely from our students & faculty that specialize in what is likely their core competency (e.g., engineering & mfg). They would be hard pressed to find this sort of mfg, engineering, SCM, & business talent pool any place else.
Kzoo:
Building boom: https://lnkd.in/etVTDpa
Middle class: https: //lnkd.in/ejEwDhh
Top School: https://lnkd.in/dn9-BCg
https://lnkd.in/dVdMRXP