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San Jose Company Brings Manufacturing Jobs Back From China

SAN JOSE (KCBS) – San Jose-based Altierre, which makes wireless digital LCD price signs, is leading the charge to bring manufacturing jobs from China back to the United States.

Bringing 100 manufacturing jobs from China to the U.S. may seem counterintuitive, but don't tell that to Sunit Saxena.

Last fall, the Altierre CEO did exactly that, largely due to rising wages in China.

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

"The bottom line is, labor costs are starting to skyrocket in China," said Saxena. "We think there's a lid being kept and if things are left to just be wide open, those labor costs will skyrocket."

Saxena said they were able to essentially break even on their labor costs by pairing American workers with automation.

"One person running two stations and that essentially levels the labor rate between what we're paying in China and here," he said.

Altierre is one of several U.S. companies that are bucking the trend of outsourcing, opting to bring jobs to the U.S. from Asia.

According to the Boston Consulting Group, by the year 2020, American companies could bring anywhere from 200,000 to 600,000 jobs back to the United States.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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