BBC的纪录片：The Town Taking on China

一个叫Tony的纺织业商人在浙江开厂8年，由于中国人力成本上涨，工人越来越紧缺，他决定回英国西北的Kirkby开厂，试图将纺织业带回英国。他说：中国逐渐失去了人力成本优势，再加上关税、运输与文化差异，这正是失业率高企的英国北部的机会。

Episode 1 of 2 :
Tony Caldeira owns two cushion factories: one in Kirkby, Merseyside, and one in China. However costs and wages have soared in China - so Tony is embarking on an ambitious experiment to bring jobs back to Britain.

The problem is that Kirkby is the fifth most deprived borough in the country, with a quarter of people claiming some kind of benefit and with unemployment standing at 70% higher than the national average.

Tony's first challenge is to find new staff who are willing to work in the physically demanding world of manufacturing. He must then train young people in the old skill of sewing, whilst also inspiring them to commit to the company despite the fact they are earning the minimum wage. To succeed, he will need all the help he can get from his trusted factory manager Malcolm, sewing floor supervisor Pam, and experienced machinist Joanne.

While they try to rebuild British manufacturing, the situation in China becomes even starker for Tony when he is held to ransom by a member of staff who wants a 50 percent pay rise.

Episode 1 :


Episode 2 of 2 :
Tony Caldeira's experiment to bring jobs back to Britain from China is hanging by a thread. At his cushion factory in Merseyside, orders are up but a third of his new staff have jumped ship. Time is starting to run out for Tony and his trusted team to prove that British manufacturing can compete with China. At the world's biggest cushion trade fair in Frankfurt, they must win enough orders to help secure the factory's future. Then they must recruit new staff and expand the sewing floor in order to meet demand. With the experiment reaching a critical phase, experienced machinists Joanne and Sharon fly out to the Chinese factory to see the competition face to face. It's a huge culture shock as they witness first hand how their fellow employees both work and live at the factory. The experiment concludes with a direct competition between the two workforces - before Tony makes his final decision about whether to move jobs back to Britain permanently.

Episode 2: