“Right now, the Midwest is awash with old, decrepit manufacturing plants,” Mautner said in an interview. “Some of these are factories with century-old equipment, and they?ve seen few improvements over the years. At the same time, China is building all new facilities, with all new equipment, and they?re consuming about half of the world?s oil, and half of the world?s steel and concrete.”
U.S. companies can?t stop China?s industrial revolution, but they can shield themselves from it a little, Mautner said.