Buying American creates jobs, you bet.

This is how you bring back the economy and keep the profits here. We need to see a lot more of this.

Ford to Hire 5,000 in 2014 After Biggest U.S. Market Share Gain
By Craig Trudell Dec 12, 2013 12:10 PM MT
0 Comments Email Print

Facebook
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn

Save

Ford Motor Co. (F) said it plans to add 5,000 jobs in the U.S. to maintain its momentum into 2014 after gaining more market share in its home country than any other automaker this year.

Ford also will introduce 16 new vehicles in North America next year, according to a statement today from the Dearborn, Michigan-based company. The payroll expansion will continue following the hiring of almost 6,500 people in 2013.

“We’ve always said we’re going to keep investing in the product,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, told reporters in Dearborn. “The number of launches we have next year reinforces that.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...biggest-u-s-market-share-gain.html?cmpid=yhoo

 

General Motors delivered 212,060 vehicles in the U.S. in November, continuing the vehicle sales surge that has been a staple of consumer spending recently. Early in December GM announced its sales last month were up 14% compared to a year ago, with an even better sales mix. Its retail sales, typically more profitable, were up 19% while its fleet sales were down 3%. GM's two largest brands by volume, Chevrolet and GMC, posted huge retail sales gains of 20.5% and 24.8% over last year, respectively.

The story was much the same in the world's largest automotive market, China, except for one small detail: It was GM's best November in the region, ever. Sales increased 13.3% to 294,500 vehicles and will break a year-to-date sales mark of 3 million vehicles for the first time ever in mid-December -- right about now.

The good news only started there, and shortly after that announcement the U.S. Treasury said it had sold the last of its ownership in General Motors.

U.S. Treasury exit
After the U.S. Treasury had sold all of its shares, which began as a 61% stake in the automaker, it recouped $39 billion of its original $49.5 billion investment. That leaves taxpayers on the hook for roughly $10.5 billion, and even more in hidden costs as GM was allowed to use tax credits from its massive losses prior to its bankruptcy -- meaning GM is just now beginning to pay rightful taxes on its profits.

While, yes, GM's bankruptcy was unique and it was allowed to wipe tens of billions of dollars in debt off its books, it's still been quite a bumpy road for the company. A short decade ago General Motors' market share in the U.S. was at 25%, and much higher decades before; now it checks in around 18%, which is near record lows for the company.

The Treasury's exit marked the end of General Motors' worst chapter in company history. While it will take longer to repair its brand image, and hisses of "Government Motors" will likely remain, the company is clearly on track and putting its best foot forward.

It was no coincidence that after the Treasury announced its exit, a successor was named for CEO Dan Akerson

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/12/12/general-motors-begins-december-with-a-bang.aspx

 

Does anyone know what percentage of a Ford as referenced in the article above is produced outside of the USA?

As I sit here in my office, analyzing everything from lamps, to phones, to computers, to copier, to printer, to office furniture, to books, to the carpet on the floor, to the picture frames, the curtains, the electric fan, the flat screen, etc. etc. etc. I don't believe any of them are produced in the USA. If this is true, then it would be impossible to buy US to set up this exact office. And not to be pessimistic but I doubt a company can set up shop in the US to produce these office items when they must compete with labor and materials outside of the USA. Buying US is a nice idea but economic reality says it's impractical to expect in this global economy...

 

Sure some parts of American made products are made somewhere else. But does that mean we shouldn't buy it because of that? Do you think Toyota, Honda, VW has all Japanese or German parts? Buying what we make here creates jobs, that's a fact. Buying American owned keeps much of the profit here that helps create more American jobs. That is also a fact. Not supporting American made causes companies to move out of America, taking jobs with them. Don't understand what is so hard about that, that people don't understand. We put thread after thread up complaining of poor paying jobs and how the rich are so much richer and the rest of us are so much poorer. It's not that hard to understand. If a company is forced to move out, his profit is going to go way up and wages here are going to go down, unless you can find a job that pays as much, which usually isn't the case. We are our own worst enemy.

 

Colgate makes a certain brand of tooth paste in Mexico and imports it here. Crest makes the same brand of tooth past in America and sells it for the same price. Germany sells a round container of fish food and sells it here. An American brand also sells right next to it for the same price. Would buying the American brands help our economy more than buying the other? Would buying the American owned Crest made here help jobs more than the American named brand made in Mexico?

Sure there are products we don't make here anymore and have to buy foreign made. But there are still plenty made here that are competing with foreign made that we can still buy if we would only look at the label and think of how our buying effects our economy. But most of the time we don't give it a second thought. At least not until we lose our job and can't find another that pays anywhere near the one we lost. Then we get on these boards and want McDonalds to pay us $15.00 an hour for flipping burgers.

 

Man, I'm all for helping the US economy, but aint nobody got time to research every little item and make sure it's manufactured in the US, or even that is is manufactured by an American company.

I think 80% or so of Wal Mart's vendors are in China? Just as an example, anyway, doesn't leave a lot of room for finding American products. And yes of course could shop elsewhere , but for many of these items, the cost in my area anyway is SIGNIFICANTLY higher at other stores on most of those items.

Perhaps a small portion of protectionism is in order.

 

With cars especially it's very hard to tell because they contain so many parts and components within parts. You simply cannot look at the nameplate and make any assumptions. And as you said, with a global economy, if you are hell bent on buying American it's going to take you more time than you likely have to determine product origin. Even more so because the rules allow a lot of fudging on where the product was "made". For example, if the cotton for a T-shirt is grown here, the yarn is most likely spun in Indonesia, the shirt made in Bangladesh or Columbia, and then shipped back here for finishing. So where was it made?

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.co...03/Buying_American_Could_Mean_Buying_Foreign/

 

I dont think Marine1 would argue that - However when we have examples of identical products at identical price points, we should consider reaching for the American product rather than the non-American

 

Oh, I agree with that. One example is , I sell tires.

My two main brands are Cooper and Hankook.

Both are superior products, and they are pretty much identical in prices. One is made in the USA , one is made in South Korea.

As I say, either tire is a great tire. Perhaps I should consider adding an incentive to choose the Cooper over the Hankook. That's something for me to think about actually.

 

How many examples are there of that? A handful, but that's about it. The fact is, virtually anything requiring a certain amount of labor to produce is going to cost less if it is produced overseas. For some items I prefer the higher quality of American, European or Canadian made products, but for others I either don't care or really can't find an American-made equivalent. For example, we wanted some new blow up Christmas decorations for the front yard. There weren't any at the store made in America.

 

I personally make the effort to always buy American when I can. Last month I was at Home Depot, I needed to buy some paint brushes, they had a choice of a China made brand that was similar in design and style to the Purdy paint brushes, the Purdy brushes were twice the price, but I opted for it anyway. Purdy is renown for their quality paint brushes, and being made in America, it was worth the extra money to me.

 

I would think in your business, having a secure supply would be a large discriminator.

 

You are right about how many things that are not made in America, but it goes to the adage, "how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

Americans need to make the effort to buy American when they can to support their nation

 

Put a sign up = American made

 

It is tough, and what makes things even more complicated is when you have foreign firms employing Americans here in the States to produce and sell their goods. For example, if you buy a Stihl chainsaw, you probably bought a saw that was produced here in Virginia.

 

And it does take effort on the consumers part. We have to educate ourselves on what businesses are American producers and those that are not. And maybe thats where this will all fall down, the need to make an effort

- - - Updated - - -

And this is a good example of secondary benefits. Sure the profits go to the parent overseas company. But if a 1000 Americans have jobs, I think thats a fair trade

 

https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/161952757211025/

http://madeinusaforever.com/

there a couple I have used

http://www.americansworking.com/

 

Cooper is US-based, but until 2013 its plant in China was required to export 100% of the tires manufactured there. You can bet some of the tires ended up here given the US is the largest market for replacement tires. Also note that Cooper Tire is actually owned by an Indian company.

 

I buy both brands from the same wholesaler.

Already done.

I actually just looked at our current year totals and of my total sales Hankook is 5% higher than Cooper. Now honestly, I prefer the Hankook tire, and so maybe I'm subconsciously pushing them, and maybe I need to do more to push American made. I just told dad that at the very minimum we're going to switch all our company vehicles to Cooper tires and look into getting a Cooper tire wrap or something for our loaner car.

 

I'm the same way, and the quality is worth the extra expense. Who wants to buy cheap Chinese crap if it's only going to break right away, or even worse, kill one of your pets or something?

Ya get what you pay for...

 

Actually, Cooper tire is NOT an American company, they are an American subsidary of an Indian company, but they 40% of their tires sold in the US ARE manufactured in the US.

http://www.toledoblade.com/Economy/...lion-company-says-Findlay-operation-safe.html

 

I am aware of that! It's my job to know that stuff. I have to read the freakin' Wall Street Journal daily. My point was that just because Cooper is headquartered in the US (regardless of being bought out earlier this year by the Indian company) that does not tell you anything about where the tires come from. You cannot buy a Cooper tire and just assume it was made in Ohio. And Hankook is building a plant in Tennessee, so starting 2016 the lines will get pretty fuzzy!

 

I agree.

We've got a big Anheuser-Busch plant down in Williamsburg that employs a lot of people, and I wasn't about to punish those folks for InBev's acqusisition of the company and stop drinking Bud. Fortunately, if I want to be a stickler about it I can always buy beer from one of the many microbreweries located here in Virginia.

http://www.starrhill.com/brews

Their Northern Lights IPA is the bomb...

 

And a further important element of your example is the fact the overseas company is manufacturing locally. This means a good chance raw materials are being purchased locally, transported locally. Local communities benefiting from the decision of an overseas firm to manufacture in the US.

 

There are plenty of foreign nameplate cars that are far more American than American nameplate cars. The globalization of world economies makes it far more complicated to buy American than people think. I don't even worry about it myself for most things.