Re: colonial weapons (chip fabs and colony math)

Just to point out, one of the major PC manufacturers in the US is in
South
Dakota.  Gateway computers is located in Souix City SD.  Admittedly they
are not a mega corp like Dell (Texas) or IBM, but they are fairly big
(this
is in no way a recommendation).

High tech corporations sometimes suffer some myopia with regards to new
plant locations.  Only the really big ones (Intel, AMD, IBM, etc) look
at
non-traditional alternatives.  Which is why you'll find an Intel plant
in
Ireland.  It would actually be advantageous for high-tech companies to
look
to the midwest for manufacturing locations since the cost of labor (due
to
lower cost of living) is a fraction of what it is on the coasts.  As
they
say "If you build it, they will come"  (with regards to skilled
workers).

The ones that aren't huge, and aren't on one of the coasts (speaking
only
of the US here) are there because they started and grew there, ala Dell
and
Gateway.

Just my observations.

Bill

									
				       
		    Ryan Gill						
				       
		    <rmgill@mindspring.com>	    To:    
gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU 			    
		    Sent by:			    cc: 		
				       
		    owner-gzg-l@lists.CSUA.Be	    Subject:	 Re:
colonial weapons (chip fabs and colony	   
		    rkeley.EDU			     math)		
				       
									
				       
									
				       
		    01/29/02 06:54 PM					
				       
		    Please respond to gzg-l				 

I can go to North Dakota and find lots of farmers. I won't find a
factory that fabricates chips. I won't likely find many people that
can even burn e-proms in their basement work shop either. If I wanted
to suddenly locate a business in North Dakota to make computers, I'm
going to have a hard time getting it set up.  I won't have enough
skilled workers for that industry. I won't have any nearby
contractors for parts or supplies I'll need. I will be shipping
harddrives, components, power supplies, CRTs, connectors, memory and
processors from out side of the country. Sure, I could get cases
fabricated there easy. But, I could set the same kind of factory up
in Silicon valley and be set for everything I need, there would be
local businesses with those fields already set up. Either as brokers
that bring it in from else where, or items that are made in-situ.

Granted, shipping is cheap, but, if it's so cheap, why aren't there
computer makers in North Dakota?