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US President Barack Obama visited Master Lock’s Milwaukee manufacturing plant this week, commending the company for bringing jobs back to the United States from China.
Since mid-2010, Master Lock has brought back approximately 100 jobs to its Milwaukee factory, a decision made due to economic reasons related to increasingly higher labour and logistics costs in Asia and also due to ongoing labour availability challenges especially in the coastal areas of China.
According to the brand, the advantages of moving the jobs back to the US included a more competitive overall cost structure, greater control and the ability to provide better service to customers. Master Lock CEO John Heppner said the company would like to bring more jobs back from overseas should the underlying economics support the move.
President Obama acknowledged Master Lock for “making the most of a huge opportunity” to bring manufacturing jobs back to America and cited the company as “a proud example of what can happen".
Heppner added: “Leveraging our expertise in automation and lean manufacturing principles, we will continue to explore opportunities to improve efficiencies and productivity. It was an honor to host President Obama in Milwaukee today and to give him a first-hand look at the jobs that Master Lock has returned to the U.S.”
