Tariffs, 'Made in USA,' and the Motorola Story

Motorola, an iconic American company, pioneered the development of wireless technologies and mobile telephony. In 1983, it released the first mobile phone, the DynaTAC.

In 2011, the company split into Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions due to losses. In 2012, Motorola Mobility was acquired by Google.

In 2013, Motorola Mobility attempted to gain market share by launching 'Made in the USA' devices, setting up a production line in Fort Worth, Texas, for the Moto X. However, in 2014, the factory closed.

Dennis Woodside, former CEO of Motorola Mobility, stated that proximity to suppliers, low labor costs, and a lack of skilled personnel in the US made domestic production difficult.

Motorola faced challenges in training and retaining employees. Components such as the battery and screen came from Asia. In 2014, Google sold Motorola Mobility to Lenovo.

Woodside advises companies to carefully consider finding and retaining skilled personnel before attempting manufacturing in the US.