PPG Industries Inc. is among the scores of other U.S. manufacturers that are moving engineering and research and development jobs offshore, the company's chief executive told members of the Pittsburgh Technology Council on Wednesday.
"That's reality. We compete in a global environment," said Raymond W. LeBoeuf, Pittsburgh-based PPG's chairman and CEO. "We have to look globally for the best solutions, whether its in technology, quality or lowest costs."
Over the past three years, U.S. companies have been moving a variety of functions -- from customer service centers to complex engineering tasks -- to India, China and other countries where cheap, highly trained labor is abundant. LeBoeuf said PPG, which spends about $300 million each year on research and development, has found dramatically lower labor costs in the Soviet Union, as well as India and China.