Why, and How, Hardinge is Reshoring Machine Tool Production

After hearing that Hardinge had shifted the manufacturing of its milling and turning product lines from its Taiwan plant to its plant in Elmira, New York, we traveled to Hardinge’s Elmira production facility and witnessed Taiwanese Hardinge employees teaching American employees how to build new models of machine tools. To make this moment possible, the company had to refine and execute a years-long strategic plan to shift production, or “repatriate,” those product lines from its Taiwan plant to the United States. In this episode, several executives and senior staff at the company give their first-person account of how they formulated the plan, the major challenges they encountered, and the rewards that made it worth the effort.