(Boothroyd Dewhurst: Wakefield, RI) -- Savvy manufacturers are able to root out troublesome costs and problems from their products earlier and earlier in a life cycle that starts even before a computer model is created—and ends with finished automobiles, appliances, and other goods. What’s more, they can now use the same tools and approaches to bring jobs back from overseas. According to two experts who spoke at the recent 26th annual International Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA), held in Warwick, Rhode Island, the job solution lies in recognizing the hidden costs of offshoring and embracing “upfront engineering” as a business model for innovation and profit creation.

“Traditional corporate and enterprise accounting systems do not generate total cost of ownership data for companies locating or sourcing overseas in search of the lowest labor cost,” says Harry Moser, founder of the Reshoring Initiative and retired president of GF AgieCharmilles.

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