A Throwback Thursday Holiday Edition special report confirms that a
whirlwind tour has convinced SCL Unlimited to stay cozy and warm at home
with a new HQ.
Three award winners show why the 600 owners and operators in the
American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association are so important
to the U.S. economy.
Cushman & Wakefield in December 2022 released the newest edition of its
Global Manufacturing Risk Index, which assesses
the most suitable locations for global manufacturing among 45 countries
in EMEA, the Americas and Asia-Pacific (APAC) by scoring each country
“against 20 tier-2/3 variables that make up the tier-1 variables
(conditions, cost and risk),” the firm says. Among key take-aways:
Due in part to plentiful and low-cost labor, half of the top 12
locations are in APAC.
“Many of the countries that have slipped in the rankings compared
with 2021 have done so due to increased costs (particularly for
labor and electricity) and increased risk (economic, political and
natural disaster); a number of these countries are in Europe where
the war in Ukraine has had a significant impact on cost and risk
factors.”
“U.S. companies are bringing jobs and supply chains home at a
historic pace. American companies are on pace to reshore, or return
to the U.S., nearly 350,000 jobs this year, according to a report
published by the Reshoring Initiative.”
That estimate was reinforced in yesterday’s release of the Reshoring Initiative’s Q3 Data Report, which
studied in tandem with the Cushman & Wakefield report makes for a
powerful bundle of analysis. Harry Moser, founder and president of the
Reshoring Initiative, identifies such measures as the infrastructure
bill, CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act as necessary but
“not sufficient since the U.S. uncompetitive cost structure is not being
improved. A true industrial policy would level the cost playing field
via comprehensive actions such as massive skilled workforce investments,
a 25% lower USD and retention of immediate expensing of capital
investments.
“The current actions and momentum are a great start,” Moser says. “A
true industrial policy would accelerate the trend and increase U.S.
manufacturing by 40%, 5 million jobs. Reshoring will reduce the trade
and budget deficits and make the U.S. safer, more self-reliant and
resilient.“The current actions and momentum are a great start,” Moser
says. “A true industrial policy would accelerate the trend and increase
U.S. manufacturing by 40%, 5 million jobs. Reshoring will reduce the
trade and budget deficits and make the U.S. safer, more self-reliant and
resilient.
SITE SELECTION
RECOMMENDS
BMW is one company continuing to invest in its JV in China. Watch
for more on this topic in a forthcoming analysis from Tractus Asia
in the January issue of Site Selection.
Photo courtesy of BMW
If you want the real skinny on FDI in China, meanwhile,
there’s no better resource than Rhodium Group, whose latest
report is called “Cutting Through the Fog: FDI in China
Since COVID-19.” One issue? Increased political
tension affects procurement of information. “As operating
and expanding in China has become politically sensitive,
companies are increasingly reluctant to publicly announce
further spending or new projects,” the report states.
After reviewing 509 applicants from across the United States and its
territories, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in August 2022
announced grant awards to 32 industry-led workforce training
partnerships as part of the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge.
Complementing its investments in Nevada, battery materials company
Redwood Materials last week announced its next Battery Materials Campus
outside of Charleston, to be located “in the heart” of what the company
terms the “Battery Belt,” a corridor running from Michigan to Georgia.
“At Camp Hall in Berkeley County, Redwood will recycle, refine and
manufacture anode and cathode components on more than 600 acres,
creating more than 1,500 jobs and investing $3.5 billion in the local
community,” the company said. “Eventually, this campus will produce 100
GWh of cathode and anode components per year — enough to power more than
1 million EVs. However, this site also provides us the opportunity to
expand our operations to potentially several hundred GWh annually to
meet future demand.” The company stated that under Governor Henry
McMaster’s leadership, South Carolina’s “commitment to creating a secure
energy future and a competitive landscape for electric vehicle
manufacturing, supported by a world-class workforce, fast and efficient
logistics, zero-carbon electricity and a phenomenal site made it a smart
decision for Redwood to invest here. Redwood’s existing partners like
Toyota, Volvo, Panasonic and Envision AESC also have a strong foothold
in this region, in addition to many other battery manufacturers. South
Carolina allows us to meet our partners’ demand while also scaling in
the most sustainable and cost-effective way.”
Last Friday Montana Governor Greg Gianforte announced that Amazon’s
first major facility in Montana is currently under construction in
Missoula. “Today’s a great day for Montana as we welcome Amazon to the
Treasure State,” he said. “We’re thrilled Amazon has recognized
Montana’s business-friendly environment, unmatched quality of life, and
hardworking and talented workforce, and look forward to the 100
good-paying jobs their investment will bring to Missoula.” Categorized
as the “last mile” stage of the shipping process, the new delivery
station will receive orders from larger Amazon facilities across the
United States and dispatch delivery vans to bring those orders to
customers’ front doors. “We look forward to bringing faster and more
efficient package delivery to Montana residents, as well as to growing
our partnerships with businesses and community organizations in the
area,” said Amazon spokesperson Leigh Anne Gullett.
International design and innovation office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati,
together with architect Italo Rota and urbanist Richard Burdett, has
unveiled a master plan for Rome’s bid to host the World Expo in 2030.
“The project uses renewable energy as the basis for a 21st-century urban
commons, with every country contributing to a solar farm that would
power the exhibition site and decarbonize the surrounding
neighborhoods.” All pavilions in the Italian capital —including the
revamped “Vele” complex by Santiago Calatrava that’s been abandoned for
15 years — “are designed to be fully reusable, turning the area into an
innovation district after the event.”
The city of Rome submitted its proposal to the Bureau International des
Expositions (BIE) on September 7th, 2022. The host city will be decided
based on a vote participated by the 170 BIE member states, which is
expected to take place in November 2023.
