Made in America

American manufacturers are increasingly bringing production back to the US to reduce their reliance on global supply chains that proved vulnerable to disruption such as the pandemic.

An overwhelming majority of American companies with production operations in China have already moved some back to the US or plan to do so in the next three years, according to Kearney's 2021 Reshoring Index.

Almost four in five corporations companies have already shifted production to the US and at least 15% are considering it due to high tariffs and ongoing supply chain challenges, Kearney's report shows.

However, imports from low-cost Asian countries to the US still increased last year.

"Reshoring" manufacturing has also been spurred by geopolitical disruption triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war.

General Motors announced in January it would spend $7 billion on four plants in Michigan. Last year it spent almost $40 billion buying parts from some 5,600 US suppliers.

The manufacturer behind Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, and Hummer announced its biggest investment to increase its battery cell production to achieve its aim of becoming North America's biggest electric vehicle producer.

GE Appliances is also investing on expanding US production to make products closer to customers and create more American jobs.  READ MORE...

Weird Sand Sculptures

Sand pillars decorate the shore by Lake Michigan at Tiscornia Park, with the North Pier Lighthouse in the

 background, in St. Joseph, Michigan. (Image credit: Terri Abbott)

Bizarre sandy sculptures rising from the beach by Lake Michigan caught the eyes of at least two photographers in early January, who posted their images of the nature-made marvels online.

But what are these sandy statues and how on earth did they come to be?

Their construction depends on several factors, including sand-to-water content and wind conditions, said Daniel Bonn, a physicist and head of the van der Waals-Zeeman Institute at the University of Amsterdam.

The pillars, sometimes called hoodoos, were different heights, anywhere from 3 to 20 inches (7.6 to 51 centimeters) tall, said Terri Abbott, a nature photographer who lives in northern Indiana. Abbott was visiting Tiscornia Park in St. Joseph, Michigan, on Jan. 8, when she noticed the stunning shapes on the snowy beach.

"Laying on the ground and shooting through these sculptures made it seem like a different planet," Abbott told Live Science in a Facebook message. "They were frozen and hard to the touch. The intricate and ever-so-sharp edges made them each amazing in their own way."

Abbott had never seen sculptures like this before. "I could not believe how perfectly chiseled they were," she added.  READ MORE...