In reverse of offshore trend, Oregon manufacturing thrives when high-tech, high-quality products are needed

Something radical is happening in a nondescript industrial park at the end of a cul-de-sac here.

Inside a rented building, American workers assemble electronic products and load circuit boards. That’s a remarkable sight in this era of rampant offshoring.

Tom Hauge, president of Quality Production Ltd., greets visitors in an entry so tiny it lacks chairs. He started the contract-manufacturing business in his garage 15 years ago.

Even as Oregon hemorrhages manufacturing jobs, Hauge says, QPL’s revenues grow 40 percent a year. The company has hired 20 workers in less than two years and now employs 55. Hauge is bullish on U.S. manufacturing, countering conventional wisdom that America can’t compete.

Richard Read, The Oregonian

Full Story: http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/09/as_oregon_manufacturing_jobs_d.html