Honeywell says it’s bringing more critical supply chain manufacturing home with an $84 million expansion of its Olathe, Kansas, plant. The company announced last week the new production lines will employ 156 additional workers and secure the availability of the parts it needs. “Expanding this facility will enable the development of a strong and resilient domestic supply chain for next generation avionics and printed circuit board assemblies that our commercial and military customers can rely on,” said CEO Jim Currier.
The Olathe plant makes everything from glass panels to weather radars at the 560,000-square-foot plant and needs skilled workers to make the expansion happen. “At Honeywell, we are in constant need of highly skilled employees, particularly in engineering and advanced manufacturing, and our decision to expand one of our U.S.-based facilities is a testament to our confidence in the U.S. economy and its talented workforce,” Currier said. Local, federal and state politicians attended the announcement.
From where did Honeywell “Onshore” its production? Communist China? This is far overdue. Small manufacturers like me are very busy supplying components to larger companies who made the error to outsource overseas and are paying the price. We used to make everything in the US, and did it well, and affordably. Greed comes at a high price.
@kent.misegades: pretty sure that would be the case of having to onshore for the commercial equipment from the CCP sources…but their defense product line would have had restrictions on supply chain origin.
Of course, in the late 1930s, we sold the Japanese the scrap metal from the elevated train lines in NY that probably ended up as munitions aimed back at us. We never learn.
I don’t know what (if any) production Honeywell has in China, but they used to have a facility in Singapore that made some of the GA (King Radio or Bendix/King) products that then shipped to Olathe for final testing and “domestic” production paperwork.
I don’t know any avionics manufacturer who actually fabricates the circuit boards here. Even military hardware get their piece parts (resistors, capacitors, etc.) from around the world.
That IS true, David. When I worked the B-2, there was a concern that all manner of electronic components coming from overseas could be cut off in a conflict. So the USAF stockpiled the stuff ‘for a rainy day.’