MSU Hosts a Domestic Manufacturing Summit

MISSISSIPPI STATE — Anticipating the return of manufacturing to the U.S., Mississippi State University’s Franklin Furniture Institute is hosting the Mississippi Reshoring Summit on Sept. 24.

Higher labor costs in China and technological advances that aid in U.S. production are partly responsible for increasing domestic manufacturing. The summit will help attendees answer the question for their industries, “Is it time to reshore?”

Harry Moser, a keynote speaker at the summit and founder of the Reshoring Initiative, said he is optimistic about the future of manufacturing in the U.S.

“In 2013, the U.S. gained 40,000 reshored jobs from 100 companies, putting the net job loss overseas at zero that year,” Moser said. “By 2016, I think we will be regaining 50,000 jobs a year.”

Moser cites the massive U.S. trade deficit as a major cause of decline in manufacturing over the past several decades.

“Reshoring is an efficient way to reduce imports, increase exports and regain manufacturing jobs in the United States,” Moser said. “It’s also the fastest and most efficient way to strengthen the U.S. economy.”

The Mississippi Reshoring Summit also will feature Jay Tice, director of Innovate MEP Mississippi; Jay Moon, president and CEO of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association; and MSU experts.

A panel of industry officials, including Joel Ewing, Mississippi regional merchandise manager for Walmart Mississippi; Richard Ables, materials manager for ACCO Brands; and Lori Harper, vice president for supply chain operations for Ingalls Shipbuilding, will discuss how to become a supplier for their companies.
Stephen Caples and John Howell, founders of Battlebells, and Milton Chambliss, executive director of the Claiborne County Economic Development District in Port Gibson, Mississippi, will share two Mississippi reshoring success stories.

The summit will be held at the MSU Franklin Furniture Center from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration costs $50, and is available at http://www.ffi.msstate.edu/reshoring.asp. The summit is sponsored by the Make It in America Challenge Grant Program and the MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center and Extension Service.

For more information, contact Amy Garrard at 662-325-8453 or amy.garrard@msstate.edu.