January 2008 Mechanical Engineering: Editorial

editorial

the laws of nature

By
John G. Falcioni,
Editor-in-Chief

A dramatic video taken in a South African national park last July broke all records for viewership on the popular Web site YouTube. The video was of a herd of Cape buffaloes fending off an attack by a pride of lions.

The video shows the lions attacking the herd. As they snatch a buffalo calf, they fall into the river. While the lions struggle to get the young buffalo out of the water, alligators attack the lions and try to snatch the calf. The lions manage to get themselves and the calf back on land, and as they are about to feast on it, the buffaloes return with reinforcements and chase the lions away. The calf, which is miraculously alive, limps off.

How mesmerizing to see the fundamental laws of nature at work.

The amazing story of the buffaloes, the lions, and the alligators provides an interesting metaphor for three countries that have played a significant role for North American manufacturers through the past quarter-century: Mexico, India, and China.

The South African incident came to mind immediately as I was reading Alan Brown's enlightening article, "Mexico Redux," inside this issue.

Back in the 1980s, Mexico was the metaphorical low-tech equivalent of the herd of buffaloes. Busy maquiladoras in Mexican border towns sprouted everywhere as they delivered high-volume, low-cost products to North American manufacturers. Mexico then was a popular outsourcing outpost to manufacturers. There was leverage in the country's North American geography and its proximity to thriving American manufacturers.

Then the world changed. Traditional manufacturing in the United States and elsewhere slowed down and a new form of the industrial revolution began dominating the landscape. It was highlighted by high-tech, and it brought new needs that were served by countries whose workforce and economy were better suited than Mexico's at speaking the new visceral language of the Internet and new forms of technology.

Large, powerful, and with a robust English-speaking workforce, India became the lion that fulfilled the revised outsourcing requirements of the U.S. India continues to grow in dominance internationally.

China plays the role of the alligator, as proven by its recent emergence as a dominant force in the global marketplace, both in low-tech and high-tech manufacturing areas. Unavoidably, China threatens India's global role. (Interestingly, the endangered, real-life Chinese alligator is said to have inspired China's symbol of power and royalty, the dragon.)

India has survived the threats of China and remains strong. And Mexico, like the buffalo, also has withstood the attacks of international competition and is finding a revised role among some manufacturers in the United States and elsewhere.

As in the South African national park, coexistence can be difficult, but somehow everyone ultimately finds a role.

Along with Brown's article, I invite you to read Mia Doucet's story on China's burgeoning global status, "Building Trust," in this issue, as well as others we've published on the topic and are archived on our Web site, www.memagazine.org. Also in the January issue, on the contents page, read the results of last month's related online poll that asked: Would you be more likely to purchase products made in China, or those made in Mexico? By a significant margin, respondents said they prefer products made in Mexico. The associated comments make for interesting reading.