Reshoring Strains Factory Capacity, But Process Fixes Reveal Hidden Room

American companies are bringing more manufacturing back home.

But many factories are not ready to handle all the extra work.

Their storage areas may be poorly organized, and their computer records may not match what is actually on the shelves.

Sai Prasad Ravulapally says factories can often find more capacity by fixing these basic problems.

In one example, better racks created much more storage space in the same building.

In another, better use of existing software helped workers find materials and reduced stoppages.

A system using labeled bins instead of paper cards also reduced shortages.

His main idea is to fix the way a factory works before buying expensive new technology.