Reebok的联合创始人Joe Foster在接受采访时表示，将服装制造从亚洲转移到西方国家面临巨大挑战。他指出，在亚洲以外地区很难找到愿意长时间操作缝纫机的工人。Foster认为，在制造业自动化技术取得重大突破之前，服装生产将继续集中在远东地区。他解释说，在英国和美国，人们普遍不愿意从事这类生产线工作，而对于像Reebok生产的复杂运动鞋，其包含的众多零部件使得自动化生产的难度更大。因此，他预测服装和鞋类行业在很长一段时间内仍将依赖远东的生产能力。文章还提到了零售商受美国关税政策的影响，以及部分公司为规避关税而考虑将生产迁回美国的举措。

🧵 Reebok联合创始人Joe Foster指出，将服装制造业务从亚洲转移到西方国家是一个极其困难的过程，尤其是在短期内几乎不可能实现。他强调，生产数百万件产品需要大量愿意在生产线上长时间工作的人员，而这在亚洲以外地区，如英国和美国，是难以找到的。Foster认为，目前的劳动力市场和社会观念使得年轻人不再愿意从事传统制造业的重复性劳动。

🧰 Foster进一步解释了技术在制造业转移中的关键作用。他表示，为了实现制造业的西迁，需要开发更快的生产方法，例如利用机器人和自动化技术。然而，对于结构复杂、包含上百个零部件的运动鞋，实现高度自动化的生产仍然面临技术瓶颈，行业尚未发展到可以完全替代人工的阶段。因此，他预测服装和鞋类行业在可预见的未来将继续依赖亚洲的生产能力。

📈 文章也提及了当前全球贸易环境对制造业布局的影响。美国对来自亚洲（特别是越南和中国）的服装制造商品征收高额关税，这增加了企业的运营成本。例如，Nike因关税预计将面临10亿美元的成本增加，并考虑提高美国国内售价。为了应对这一挑战，一些公司正在考虑将生产设施迁往美国本土，以减少关税的影响。

🏭 Reebok公司目前的生产制造高度集中在亚洲，特别是越南和中国。该公司自2022年起由CEO Todd Krinsky领导，并由纽约的Authentic Brands Group全资拥有。Authentic Brands Group旗下还拥有Champion、Billabong等多个知名服装品牌。这一生产布局使得Reebok直接面临着亚洲国家作为主要制造基地的机遇与挑战。

Joe Foster, cofounder of Reebok, said it is difficult to move apparel manufacturing West.It is hard to find workers willing to spend hours in front of a sewing machine outside Asia, he said.Until manufacturing automation progresses, apparel production will "stay in the Far East," he said.

It's hard to move apparel manufacturing West because no one wants to sit in front of a sewing machine for hours, Reebok's founder said.

Joe Foster, a 90-year-old Reebok veteran who cofounded the footwear and clothing brand in 1958 in the UK, spoke on a Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid podcast interview, released Monday.

When asked how tough it was for companies like Nike, Adidas, and Reebok to move production out of Asia, Foster said that's "virtually impossible" to accomplish on a short timeline.

"If you want millions, as we wanted, millions of products, you've got to go somewhere where you've got a lot of people who are quite willing to sit on a machine, women on the sewing machines, men on the production line, and that doesn't happen overnight," Foster said.

"In the UK, we can't get people to do that. They won't do it, they've moved on to whatever different things, and I think the States are exactly the same," he added.

He said that to move manufacturing West, a faster method of making shoes with robots and automation is needed. But automation for complicated sneakers, which he said have more than a hundred pieces, was difficult.

The industry had not progressed to that stage, and the apparel and footwear business was "going to be in the Far East for a long time," he said.

Reebok's manufacturing is concentrated in Asia, particularly in countries like Vietnam and China. The private company has been headed by CEO Todd Krinsky since 2022.

It is owned by the NYC-based Authentic Brands Group, which also owns other apparel brands such as Champion, Billabong, Van Heusen, and Ted Baker.

Retailers have been grappling with the effects of Trump's tariffs, which have targeted Asian countries heavily involved in apparel manufacturing. Goods entering the US from Vietnam and China are now hit with a 20% and 30% levy, respectively.

In a June earnings call, Nike announced it would raise prices for US customers because it anticipated a $1 billion cost increase from tariffs.

Other companies have announced that they will move manufacturing to the US to mitigate the impact of the tariffs. In April, French luxury giant LVMH said it was considering increasing the capacity of its production facilities in the US.

Representatives for Reebok did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.