View Poll Results: Outsourcing vs Insourcing

Voters
5. You may not vote on this poll
  • I have benefited from Outsourcing

    5 100.00%
  • I have not benefited from Outsourcing

    1 20.00%
  • I have benefited from Insourcing

    2 40.00%
  • I have NOT benefited from Insourcing

    1 20.00%
  • I don't know...

    0 0%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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Thread: Outsourcing vs Insourcing

  1. #1
    Technical Fellow Kelly_Bramble's Avatar
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    Feb 2011
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    Bold Springs, GA
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    2,611

    Outsourcing vs Insourcing

    So, in America outsourcing has been a challenging political and economic issue. I was wondering, just how Outsourcing or Insourcing engineering, manufacturing or design jobs has affected folks.
    Last edited by administrator; 07-17-2012 at 04:05 PM. Reason: I can't seem to spell "Engineering".

  2. #2
    Technical Fellow jboggs's Avatar
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    Mar 2011
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    Myrtle Beach, SC
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    908
    Well Kelly, my wife would remind you that "You're talking to a bunch of engineers. You have to 'clarify!" She hates it when I say that.

    Anyway, the word "outsourcing" to me has always meant anytime a company looked outside its own four walls to get something done, like hiring contractors or other companies to do something they might have done themselves under other circumstances. I ran a business for 10 years that depended directly on my clients doing that very thing - outsourcing. They didn't send the jobs overseas; they gave them to me, domestically.

    But in today's political environment the word has taken on a new, darker, sinister, almost evil meaning (mainly by those that have a gut level hatred for anyone that makes a profit). If you asked 100 people on American streets right now what it means, they would say "sending jobs overseas". The word never meant that until the media's obsession with this whole Bain Capital "issue".

    I would also remind folks who want to respond to the poll to consider this - the biggest benefits or losses are usually indirect. For example, if you own stock in a company (thru a 401K or any other vehicle) that doubled its profits by outsourcing then you benefitted. If you directly lost a job that went overseas, that's hard to see it as a benefit. But I can tell you as someone who has had, and lost, several jobs over the years, time adds perspective to your judgment of benefit or loss.

  3. #3
    Technical Fellow
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    1,043
    and, I would add (and agree) to JB's observations that we are importing an enormous amount of stuff from China, Thailand, Malaysia Singapore, Hong Kong etc all designed and made by American companies but manufactured overseas.

    Before beating the outsourcing drum (either for or against) we should look at how we are supporting foreign-outsourcing by purchasing all this off-shore manufactured stuff. Whatever happened to the "Buy American" campaign? I suspect it fell victim to the short term attention span and is no longer the flavor of the month.

    I abstain from voting in this Poll.

  4. #4
    Senior Engineer
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Zürich Switzerland
    Posts
    32
    I would say that one benefit of outsourcing is that a company can focus on its core competencies by outsourcing certain jobs. For example we are a small company and with limited resources we outsource some jobs to specialists. This means that the disadvantage is that certain knowledge is either not built up inside the companies four walls or certain knowledge is slowly eroded from within the companies four walls.

  5. #5
    Banned
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Posts
    2
    Outsourcing it the best choice especially now that the pandemic the world is having.

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