How Germany Wins At Manufacturing — For Now

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

Back to the OP.....I find this very interesting on a personal level.  Several years ago, at a Super Bowl party, a friend and I were discussing this very thing concerning American Manufacturing.  During its hey day, much like Germany, smaller companies made small contributions to a bigger whole.  They were exceedingly family owned, and had been in their towns for generations.  With that, came civic pride in their home cities/states, and a pride in quality work.  You didn't want your hometown associated with shoddy work, and you not only want job security, but a good place to raise a family as well.  The companies reinvested into their locales, and often generations worked in these factories.  Then, larger firms began gobbling them all up, and consolidated a lot of the processes under a few roofs, and the decay began.  These smaller factories shuttered, and moved to larger urban areas.  Civic pride gave way to numbers on a time sheet.  Then came the trade deals, and shareholders' profits became more important than those numbers on the time sheets.

One thing to consider in all of this, Germany also practices more of a fair trade commerce than a free trade commerce, from what I've read.