在 2012年初，EETimes美国版发表了一系列“重建美国”系列文章，试图探索复兴美国制造业的可能性；在这个众家电子业者为节省成本纷纷将制造据点移往亚洲的时刻，我们也知道这样的议题恐怕是徒劳无功。
除此之外，是全球化(globalization)的现实以及全球性的“生产破碎化现象(fragmentation of production)”；但我们仍认为，“制造”工程是了解产品设计程序不能被忽视的一个环节。考量到这一点，你也许听说苹果(Apple)打算投资1亿美元将部分Mac系列产品制造由中国移回美国的消息，并且对该公司的计划深感振奋。
但苹果的计划还是有一些需要质疑的地方。首先，苹果的商业考量何在？将该公司因为以上消息而从美国媒体赢得的赞誉放在一边，我们需要问清楚的是，苹果在美国本土生产Mac系列产品，是否真是有道理的？
我们得先看看成本分析数据；美国本土的人力成本如何？将成品销往世界各地的运费成本如何？美国本土的供应链是否仍具备提供及时所有Mac所需零件的能力？苹果在这条产品线的营业利润率如何？要在美国营运一座工厂的成本是多少？
总之，我们需要了解苹果将“部分”生产线移回美国本土的成本结构；企业时常会以成本做为将工作机会移往海外的借口，如果制造职缺回来了，我们需要理解如此举动的商业考量。
苹果CEO库克(Tim Cook)在接受美国媒体访问时，并没有对以上的计划细节透露任何相关内容，包括苹果将把哪些产品移回美国生产，以及产量数字。他仅含糊地表示，将在美国本地生产部分Mac计算机，而且生产内容是超越目前该公司已经在本土进行的组装制程。
此外库克也含蓄地表示，苹果应该会有合作伙伴；举例来说，他接受《 Businessweek》采访时提到，苹果的计划：”并不意味着苹果将自己进行制造，我们将与人们合作，并将有金钱投资。”那么，所谓的“人们”指的是？
到目前为止，我们都只看到苹果的象征性姿态──因为现在正是年底圣诞采购季。
本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载
本文下一页：中国劳动力成本提高才是主因
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中国最大的PC制造商联想(Lenovo) 先前已经宣布，将在美国北卡罗莱纳州(North Carolina)设置台式与笔记本电脑的小量生产线，以支应美国本地企业与政府机构订单。此计划与联想持续提升产品自制率的策略相符；根据业界消息， 该公司将把产品自制率由2012年的两成，在2013年提升至五成。
如果苹果的动机与联想一样，是为了“更接近市场”，那么该公司打算将部份生产线移回美国的举动是合理的(就像汽车厂商会在接近销售市场的地方生产汽车)；在地消费、在地生产并不只是常识，而是有经济意涵的。
另一个考量点是中国劳动力市场正在改变；根据《华盛顿邮报(The Washington Post)》在中国东莞的报导，曾被称为“世界工厂”的中国珠江三角洲地带，现在出现失业情况，甚至对美国投以羡慕的眼光。虽然很难想象中国有任何地方的 工厂会关闭，但值得注意的是，中国的制造工作已经流向包括越南、印尼等人力成本更低的区域。
《华盛顿邮报》的文章引述了中国国家信息中心(State Information Center)研究员张茉楠说法，指出目前中国目前掉进了“三明治陷阱(sandwich trap)”，也就是被挤在劳动成本更低的邻近国家以及美国、德国等已开发国家中间，他强调：“中国的制造业者正面临严峻局势。”
因此，在称赞苹果将生产线移回美国是“做正确的事”之前，我们也许该想想更实际的因素：苹果在美国本土生产自家产品，可能是个商业性考量。
本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载
编译：Judith Cheng
参考英文原文：Yoshida in China: Probing Apple's U.S. manufacturing gambit，by Junko Yoshida
相关阅读：
• 苹果把生产线搬回美国的背后
• 科技创业者应如何制造下一个苹果般的传奇？
• iPhone 5S来得真快！疑似背盖照曝光bvsesmc
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Yoshida in China: Probing Apple's U.S. manufacturing gambit
Junko Yoshida
NEW YORK – At the beginning of this year, we launched a series called "Rebuilding America" in which we attempted to explore the prospects for reviving U.S. manufacturing. We acknowledged at that time that we could be accused of beating a dead horse since many in the electronics industry favor the outsourcing of manufacturing to Asia as a way to reduce costs.
Beyond that is the reality of globalization and what has been called the global "fragmentation of production." Still, we argued, the engineering importance of "making stuff" as a way of understanding the product design process can't be underestimated.
With that in mind, you have no doubt heard about Apple’s plan to spend more than $100 million to bring back “some production of Mac” to the U.S. from China. If you’re like me, you probably rolled your eyes and said, “Yeah, right!”
A healthy dose of skepticism is in order here.
First, what’s Apple’s business case? Setting aside the goodwill Apple has already gained from media coverage, we need to ask whether it actually makes sense to manufacture Macs at home.
We need to see a cost analysis. What’s the labor cost? What’s the shipping cost for finished products? Do we still have a supply-chain infrastructure capable of bringing all the components necessary to make Macs here and deliver them on time? What’s Apple's operating margin for this product line? How much will it cost to operate a U.S. factory?
We need to know the cost structure for moving in-shoring "some" production. Corporations frequently use cost as the alibi to ship jobs overseas. If some manufacturing jobs are returning, we must understand the business case for such a move.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, in interviews with Businessweek and NBC's Brian Williams disclosed none of these details. Cook never revealed the actual products Apple will be making in the U.S. or how many Apple expects to make.
Cook vaguely suggested producing some Mac computers here "beyond the assembly work" it already does stateside. Cook’s statements implied that Apple will have "partners.". For instance, he told Businessweek that the plan “doesn’t mean that Apple will do it ourselves, but we’ll be working with people, and we’ll be investing our money.”
Again, what “people”?
So far, all we’re looking at is a symbolic gesture by Apple -- just in time for the holidays.
'Sandwich trap'
China’s largest PC vendor, Lenovo Group, has already announced it will establish assembly lines to produce desktops and notebooks in "small volume” in North Carolina in anticipation of enterprise and government orders.The move appears to be in line with Lenovo’s strategy to increase the proportion of in-house production, from about 20 percent in 2012 to 50 percent in 2013, according to Taiwan sources, Digitimes has reported.
If Apple's motivation — like Lenovo's — is “to be closer to the market,” Apple’s plan to move “some production" back to the U.S. does make sense. (After all, that’s why automakers build cars close to local markets where they’re sold.) Making stuff where it’s consumed is not just common sense, it makes economic sense.
A second data point worth examining is the changing labor market in China. The Washington Post, reporting from Donggun, China, found that "the city on China’s Pearl River Delta, once known as ‘the world’s factory,’ is now losing jobs and eyeing the United States with some envy."
While it’s hard to believe that there’s anyplace in China where factories are closing, it should be noted that lower cost regions like Vietnam and Indonesia are taking manufacturing jobs from China.
The Post article quoted Zhang Monan of the State Information Center, a government think tank, describing the phenomenon he called "a sandwich trap," as in, China being squeezed between cheaper labor in neighboring countries and competition from developed nations such as Germany and the U.S. Zhang stressed, “China’s manufacturers are in an extremely hard situation.”
Before hailing Apple’s decision as “the right thing to do,” we might consider a more pragmatic interpretation: Maybe there is a business case for manufacturing Apple products right here in America.
责编：Quentin
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