Challenges of staying on shore
The New York Times writes about Harley-Davidson (and other American firms) that are challenging themselves (beyond jingoism) to keep their products Made In the USA.
Innovation is often compulsively pursued at the manufacturing companies that stay in America. The engineers and designers at Harley and Haas - they constitute more than 10 percent of each work force - are constantly altering the companies' products in ways that are not easily imitated by lower-priced foreign competitors. The resulting cachet helps to sustain demand.
"There are tweaks to the product that we do regularly," said Rod Copes, general manager of Harley's main engine and transmission plant in Milwaukee. "It could be just the relocation of a hole in a casting. Having production here, we can make that happen."