Bruce Cochrane’s family furniture business illustrates what may be the start of a US industrial renaissance. His story also offers insights into the opportunities and the pitfalls facing manu-facturers wanting to build up?their?US?production.

The Cochranes were in the furniture business for five generations, employing more than 1,000 people in the early 1980s. But by 1996 the going had become too hard and they decided to sell. Under the new owners, their factory in Lincolnton, North Carolina was closed, the equipment was dismantled and prod-uction was moved to Asia.

Mr Cochrane worked for 12 years as an import consultant, advising companies on how to source furniture from Asia to sell in the US. But by last year, he had come to the view it was viable to make furniture in the US again, even against competition from China.