苹果把生产线搬回美国的背后

苹果公司(Apple)CEO库克日前表示，正计划将该公司部份制造产线移回美国，未来将逐步增加在美国本地生产更多的苹果商品。这是为了缓解对于苹果的批评而以此提升品牌形象，还是一项明智的商业决定？ 苹果公司打算在美国制造业务投资1亿美元，这其实只是该公司整个市值及其现金的一小部份。不过，库克表示该公司对于创造就业机会负有某种责任。 从营运与供应链管理岗位晋升上来的库克，同样也有令人佩服的商业眼光。苹果公司大部份的制造业务都交由富士康电子(Foxconn Electronic)。尽管雇用海外劳工可带来低成本的优势，但运输费用与中国薪资也持续在上涨中。此外，中国的人民币也不断升值中。从美国财政部、 Boston Consulting Group以及IDC的分析都证明了，随着这些成本持续增加，中国的低成本劳动力优势正逐渐减少。 此外，在接近终端市场(即美国)进行产品组装更具有经济效益。用任何方式从中国运输大量产品都相当地浪费时间，也徒增成本。苹果总是最先在美国发表最新产品，然后才在其它国家推出。库克指出，苹果一部份较大宗(相对而言)的产品(如iMac计算机)将在美国制造，而不只是最后的组装工作而已。 从业务与供应链的观点来看，库克已经推动了一些重大的措施。苹果推出了小型平板电脑iPad mini，这和前CEO乔布斯主张小型平板电脑无法带动流行的看法相左。库克并推动供应链透明化，公开苹果主要供货商名单及其合作伙伴的劳动情形。苹果因为其合作伙伴富士康的劳工问题而饱受批评。库克甚至还因为公司产品中的失误而公开道歉──这些都是乔布斯从来不曾做的。 然而，于此同时，苹果还控告其最大的供货商之一──三星电子(Samsung)的专利侵权。三星为苹果产品制造大量的芯片和Retina显示器。 库克可能想试图化解外界不断批评苹果过度依赖海外劳工。如同其它高科技制造商一样，苹果也拥有大量的海外现金储备，因而也曾被指控逃税。而在美国建立制造业务其实只多增加一点所得税而已。苹果将在美国创造什么工作机会？这些工作机会又会位于哪些地方？一切仍有待观察。 库克打算把制造业搬回美国的背后动机重要吗？您认为这只是一种提升品牌形象的手段还是一项明智的商业决定？我想听听你的意见。 本文授权编译自EBN Online，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Susan Hong 参考英文原文：What’s Behind Apple’s Reshoring?，by Barbara Jorgensen, News of the Day

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{pagination} What’s Behind Apple’s Reshoring? Barbara Jorgensen It looks like Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)'s decision to manufacture in the US is already having the desired effect. reported today that Apple’s leading EMS partner, Foxconn Electronics Inc. , is also considering expanded US production. Several news outlets say the decision is being driven by the practicalities of assembling products near the point of consumption. Apple will be building one of its Mac products in the US; devices that are bigger and bulkier than its phones and tablets. Transportation and logistics costs in overseas shipments have been increasing, as have Chinese wages. Foxconn is the world’s largest EMS provider, and has a significant presence in China. The company recently announced it would replace some Chinese workers with robots in order to save costs. (See: Foxconn’s Solution to Labor Unrest.) There is undoubtedly a PR aspect as well. Apple has been excoriated for its partnership with Foxconn, which reportedly uses child labor; forces workers into 24-hour shifts; underpays employees; and houses workers in crowded conditions. Apple hired a third-party labor watchdog to audit Foxconn plants, and Foxconn has since increased its wages and admitted to hiring underage staff. Whether Apple’s move signals the rebirth of US manufacturing is up for debate. Apple’s presence in the US will be small: It’s investing $100 million in manufacturing. Although Foxconn dwarfs all of its competitors, its reliance on low-cost labor is admittedly its greatest edge. It’s very likely that Foxconn will use automation in its US factories to remain cost-competitive. Here’s what we know so far about Apple’s plans. IHS, in an email brief this morning, reports: Apple is apt to shift only a small percentage of its total production to the United States next year. At the same time, the company is a relatively small player in the global PC market. With the vast majority of PCs now being produced in Asia by contract manufacturers, Apple’s move is unlikely to spur a major shift in production from Asia to the United States. In the global PC market, Apple is ranked No. 6, with a 5.8 percent share of global shipments in the third quarter of this year, as presented in the attached table. Given Apple’s extensive overseas production, the total percentage of the company’s cost of goods sold (COGS) shifted from China to the United States in 2013 is prone to be very small. If Apple only moves production of one segment of its Macintosh product line, as reports indicate, the total shift in COGS could amount to less than 1 percent in 2013. Still, the move has some precedent in other circles. Interestingly, Apple is not the first OEM to announce it will be moving some PC production from Asia to the United States in 2013. Chinese computer-maker Lenovo Group Ltd. in October said it would start making PCs in North Carolina next year.