And they want to be delivered more quickly

Peggy Boone, fifty-five years, had a habit of working for the company from furnishing Hayworth Roll and Panel, installed in North Carolina. "I was the top of table," she explains. For me, it was like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. "But the Asian competition hit hard. Hayworth Roll and Panel closed the plant. "They are parties across the ocean," she said. Despite his white hair of grandmother, Peggy Boone had to return to school.

It is in the restoration that Peggy Boone wished to convert. "I have always wanted to Cook, she continues, there is at least 150 pounds of kitchen at home. Twice a week, she formed in the Guilford County Community College in the art of the sandwich, the secrets of production of cakes to the rules of cleanliness and hygiene... She met young students in 18-19 years.

Peggy Boone is a pure product of the machine to reconversion development by the State of North Carolina for the employees of the sectors in crisis. Almost daily, Thomas White, Director of the division for employment and training of the Ministry of trade, heard of a site for the production of tobacco, a textile factory and a factory of furniture by the relocation. He lived, three years ago, the liquidation of the linen House and its jobs 5.700 Pillowtex group; It closely monitors the evolution of the manufacturer of furniture Thomasville, which abolished 3,000 jobs since 2001. Thomas White also keeps an eye on the Ameritex plant decided to manufacture its textile fibres in Central America.

Occupy niches

And yet, this senior official believes the economic potential of its State. The unemployment rate was 4.3, one notch below the 4.7 unemployment at the national level. The evidence, according to him, that public aid for the conversion were effective.

Some textile and furniture groups were able to redirect to fill the niche. It is the case of Klaussner Furniture (1 billion of turnover). Its President, J.B. Davis, had to purchase 75 of its wood, textiles and leather abroad to cut costs. But he always assembled half of his articles in the United States: 6,900 employees, seamstresses and carpenters, to activate. Clients, mostly women, have the opportunity to choose their own colors, fabric, and forms of their sofa. And they want to be delivered more quickly. "The Chinese paid 23 cents an hour may deliver these custom three month commands, provides the President. But here, it's twenty-one days, not more.

As long as U.S. customers keep their requirements, Klaussner plants will remain in North Carolina. But all furniture specialists fail this tour de force. For others, the services of the Department of Commerce are precious. As soon as a plant prepares to close, officials of the Department are investing sites. They meet with the employees, speak them of their health insurance, the payment of their taxes and talk with them a job search, or even a possible conversion. Because the small State of North Carolina (8.5 million) started very early training for adults. In 1958, 5 training centres have emerged. Today, 58 Community Colleges are scattered throughout the territory. What is that any inhabitant of the State lives in half an hour up to a "college".

When the pillars of the industry have begun to close, "colleges" were immediately offered their service to reconvert the people laid off. "Citigroup came home with the promise to create 100 jobs in a call centre, says Don Cameron, the President of Guilford County Community College, but it was necessary to adapt the labour force to their specific demands: knowledge of office automation software, data management, good relations with clients...". "Never mind. The college has sent a trainer who stayed three months with the executives of the company. On his return, a program tailored to train future employees of the call centre was ready.

"Of people strong and reliable."

North Carolina businesses have quickly understood offered potential. And taken advantage of the three months to upgrade (or two years of training) as the case may be proposed. John Aviles, the patron of DSM Desotech, company specialized in fibre optics (55 employees) who hired workers from the textile, recognizes their skills in terms of quality and control. "Are solid, reliable, he said, they become easily operational in chemistry. Kenji Ueno, President of Cataler North America, a Japanese manufacturer of catalytic converters for the automotive industry (120 employees) has regrets not him, have preferred to North Carolina to Detroit, but installed the Big Three, the largest builders motor us. "North Carolina gives us hundreds of hours of training and, with all the textile plant closures, we have a large pool of operators. They have no experience in the automotive, welcomed the President, at the time, they took no bad habits.