[hakfoo]

I suspect in many cases, the "value add" an American firm provides is an intangible.

In the pre-tariff omnishambles world, I could buy a more or less equivalent widget for $18 branded with a recognizable American brand, for $12 as a KWJIBO non-brand delivered from Amazon, or for $6 more-or-less manufacturer direct from AliExpress.

Amazon added $6 of value by saying "I can get it to you in a timely manner and offer a confidence-reinforcing return policy."

The American brand added another $6 of value for "this can probably be sourced consistently and people won't look at you weird trying to get it Shenzhen Tchang Zu Shrimp Cannery And Electrolytic Capacitor Plant #5 onto the approved vendor list."

They didn't actually improve the widget itself, just logistics around it. That means their value-add is extremely tenuous, and has a limited moat.

[selimthegrim]

Well, I never thought that Toby Jones barbecue and foot massage would have a resurrection, but here we go.

[starspangled]

The fact remains that the data we have says the value of US manufacturing is about 50% of that of China. You have your own perceptions of value of course, but that's not how value is actually calculated. The same as people who perceive China's manufacturing to be worthless because they produce cheap flimsy junk is also not an indication of any reality other than their own.