Reshoring Manufacturing Jobs – WTVA

STARKVILLE, Miss(WTVA) — It may have resembled just another seminar taking place at Mississippi State.

But if you look again, you will find representatives here from big companies like Walmart looking to buy more products made in Mississippi and the U.S.

“We have made the commitment that in the next ten years, we are going to purchase an additional 250 billion dollars of U.S. manufactured goods,” said the Mississippi merchandise manager for Walmart.

In other words, Walmart, like many other companies, are starting to reshore some of their manufacturing as countries like China experience higher labor costs and America moves forward with manufacturing technology.

Officials have, in fact, come together in what’s known as the Reshoring Initiative.

This was a Reshoring Summitt at Mississippi State.

“As many people know, years and years ago we lost a lot of manufacturing jobs to China and to overseas. And fortunately people are starting to reevaluate those decisions,” said Clay Walden, the director for the CAVS Extension at MSU.

In fact, Walden’s company is part of a group that received a federal grant called a “Making It in America Grant”.

“And so, this grant was a three-year grant and we’re focusing on strengthening the supply chain in Mississippi so that Mississippi companies can become a solution to some of the larger companies’ supply sourcing problems,” Walden continued.

If you’ve ever attended a Mississippi State sporting event, you’ve likely heard the MSU cowbells. 

There’s a company that makes them in West Point Mississippi.

One of the co-owners was on hand for the Reshoring Summitt Wednesday.

He agrees that when it comes to manufacturing, there’s really no place like home.

“As far as communication goes, and just the whole picture of logistics, everything about working with the overseas manufacturer is a lot more difficult,” said John Howell of Battlebells, a company that once used overseas manufacturing.

Officials say the Reshoring Intiative is apparently working across the country as the U.S. gained 40,000 restored jobs from 100 companies in 2013.

One official says that by the year 2016, America will regain jobs at a rate of some 50,000 a year through reshoring.