苹果和联想双双计划在美国生产PC

Apple Inc. isn't the only company planning to produce some of its personal computers in the U.S.

苹果公司(Apple Inc.)并不是唯一一家计划将部分个人电脑(PC)放在美国本土生产的厂商。

China's Lenovo Group Ltd. said in October that it will start manufacturing some PCs in North Carolina next year.

中国PC生产商联想集团有限公司(Lenovo Group Ltd.)今年10月说，明年将在美国北卡罗来纳州开始生产部分PC。

For both Apple and Lenovo, U.S. production could have a positive impact on their reputation and brand image at a time when most gadgets sold in the U.S. are manufactured abroad. Apple and its foreign subcontractors have come under scrutiny by international labor groups over the workers' conditions, particularly in China. Lenovo, which acquired International Business Machine Corp. IBM +0.56%'s PC business in 2005, is struggling to raise its brand profile among U.S. consumers.

目前，在美国出售的大多数电子产品都非美国制造，这个时候将PC放到美国生产对苹果和联想而言，可能会对其公司声誉和品牌形象产生积极影响。苹果与其外国分包商因工人特别是在华工人待遇问题受到国际劳工组织的关注。2005年收购了国际商业机器公司(International Business Machine Corp.)PC业务的联想此时正在奋力提升它在美国消费者心中的品牌形象。

Lenovo, the company behind the ThinkPad brand, is close to becoming the world's largest PC maker by overtaking Hewlett-Packard Co. HPQ +0.07%, but its position in the U.S. isn't as strong compared with other markets such as China, India and Russia.

虽然拥有ThinkPad品牌的联想可能即将超越惠普公司(Hewlett-Packard Co.)，成为全球第一大PC生产商，但它在美国市场上的地位并不像在中国、印度和俄罗斯等市场那样牢固。

Lenovo's U.S. production will start with only a few million dollars in investment and just over 100 workers, but the company says the move isn’t a one-time publicity stunt and there will likely be more to come.

联想对美国PC生产业务的初始投资将仅为几百万美元，雇员也仅百余人，但联想说此举并不是一时的作秀活动，后期可能还会追加投入。

Gerry Smith, Lenovo's head of global supply chain, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in October that the decision to make PCs in the U.S. was part of the company’s broader efforts to localize its production in each major market.

联想全球供应链主管史密斯(Gerry Smith)今年10月接受《华尔街日报》记者采访时说，在美国生产PC的决定是联想试图在各大市场进行本地化生产这一更大努力的一部分。

'Now we are big enough in the U.S. to justify this move,' he said. Lenovo PCs currently sold in the U.S. are produced at the company’s Mexico and China factories.

史密斯说，如今我们在美国的业务规模已足够大，可以开展本地化生产。现今美国市场上所售的联想PC是在墨西哥和中国工厂生产的。

Apple, meanwhile, is investing $100 million on its U.S. Mac production. The amount, though much larger than Lenovo's investment, is still tiny given that Apple spends billions of dollars on manufacturing every year. Most Apple products are manufactured in Asia, where Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. 2317.TW +1.06%, also known as Foxconn, is a major assembler of iPhones and iPads.

此外，苹果将投资1亿美元在美国生产Mac电脑。虽然投资额远大于联想，但相比苹果每年在生产方面数十亿美元的支出，仍显得无足轻重。苹果的大多数产品都产于亚洲，其中鸿海精密工业股份有限公司(Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.，又名富士康)是组装iPhone和 iPad的主要厂商。

Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronics based in Taiwan, has said that China, which accounts for the majority of its work force, will likely remain its main production base for the foreseeable future. Still, the company has also been enhancing its manufacturing capabilities outside China. In September, it announced plans to build a fifth factory in Brazil.

台湾企业富士康是全球最大的电子产品合同制造商。该公司说，在可预见的未来，中国内地预计仍将是其主要生产基地。富士康大部分员工雇自中国内地。尽管如此，该公司也一直在扩大中国以外的生产能力。今年9月，富士康宣布打算在巴西建立该公司的第五家工厂。