Why America Can Make Semiconductors But Not Swabs
U.S. factories are as productive as ever but they’ve lost the process knowledge needed to retool quickly in a crisis.
The loss of manufacturing workers has had a broader impact than most Americans realize.
Photographer: Jim Young/AFP/Getty Images
Among the many uncomfortable truths revealed by the coronavirus pandemic is, apparently, this: America can’t build anymore. Faced with an unprecedented emergency, U.S. factories have struggled to make even relatively simple products such as swabs, masks and protective gear.
This is more surprising than it seems. While millions of manufacturing jobs have been lost over the past two decades as low-end production has shifted to Asia, real output in U.S. manufacturing hovers around all-time highs. American manufacturers dominate high-tech sectors such as wide-body aircraft and semiconductors.