Harry C. Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. will be the keynote speaker at the 10th Annual Smartmap Expo, which will be Sept. 27 at TRAC.
By Veronica Sandate Craker
The Tri-City Development Council is already preparing for the 2012 Smartmap Expo, an annual event that draws hundreds of businesses and visitors to the Tri-Cities each fall.
The theme of the annual manufacturing expo this year will be “Made-in-America” and to play up on that premise, TRIDEC has invited Harry Moser, founder and president of Reshoring Initiative, to be the keynote speaker at Smartmap’s TRIDEC Power Breakfast and he provide a “Reshoring Seminar” that is open to event exhibitors and the public.
“He’s a nationally recognized speaker on the subject,” said Gary White, an Impact Washington representative and TRIDEC employee, said. “In fact, he’s the speaker in the subject.”
Moser was in the manufacturing industry for 40 years before he founded Reshoring Initiative to move lost jobs back to the U.S. Supported by 27 companies and trade associations, the Reshoring Initiative helps U.S. manufacturers recognize the profit potential of using local sourcing and producing, as well as the critical role they can play in strengthening the economy.
Moser maintains a website that allows users to plug in information from their business to help them determine whether to move the company’s manufacturing overseas.
“(It) factors in transportation, inventory most businesses will find that it will be cost effective to bring it back over here,” White said.
That tool, called the ‘Total Cost of Ownership Estimator,’ can be found on the Reshore Imitative website at www.reshorenow.org. It allows users to account for all relevant factors when determining their total cost of ownership. This includes overhead, balance sheet, corporate strategy and various other internal and external business cost.
“The estimator, you might say, is half the reason we exist,” Moser said.
Since Moser started the Reshore Initiative in 2010 he has been informing businesses owners about the usually overlooked costs that come with moving a company offshore.
“Companies choose to offshore due to cost and what we do is get them to use the Total Cost Estimator,” Moser said. “So they look at all the costs of offshoring not just the prices.”
Recently Moser traveled to Washington D.C. to speak at the Conference on the Renaissance of American Manufacturing at the National Press Club, before going on to speak at a congressional hearing for the Commerce Department.
“Two years ago this wouldn’t have been a subject,” Moser said. “(Now) President Obama is talking about it, everybody’s talking about it.”
While at the conference Moser made a point to wear a black shirt with the words “Manufacturing is Cool” on it in order to promote creating a skilled workforce.
Moser believes that workers are afraid to get into the manufacturing industry because they are constantly seeing jobs being outsourced. Moser said if companies can keep jobs in the U.S. or bring them back, then workers would be more inclined to get into the manufacturing business.
“People would see it and say ‘Oh it isn’t all going, it is coming back,’ and people would feel more confident about going into manufacturing,” he said.
In preparation for his trip to the Tri-Cities Moser said he is anxious to hear from local companies who have brought business back to the states.
“I’m passionate about helping America come back,” Moser said.
The Reshoring Initiative will also have a display booth at the Smartmap Expo where participants can meet and talk to Moser.
The 2012 Smartmap Expo will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27 at TRAC in Pasco. For more information about Smartmap or being a vendor at the expo, call White at 735-1000. The Smartmap website at www.smartmapexpo.org will be available in May.
