Overseas labor is so much cheaper, manufacturers must be raking in profits like never before. Right?

It's irresistible for labor-intensive businesses to be attracted to locations where workers cost less than a tenth of what they get paid here. Add to that greatly reduced regulatory burdens compared to the United States, and a backward Third World country can appear to many manufacturers as alluring as a barroom floozy at closing time. There's an attendant risk, however, that they'll wake up in the morning hating themselves.

Business publications are loaded with articles detailing the lousy experiences of firms whose overseas flings proved less satisfying than promised. While a 90% labor cost differential can cover many inefficiencies, the savings are not infinite. Many companies that outsource manufacturing overseas discover numerous hidden costs, such as...

Language & cultural differences.

There are costs associated with translation, both verbal and of printed documents, and endless opportunity for mistakes leading to rework, customer returns and other costly penalties. Cultural differences also create misunderstanding. A nod of the head in our society means, “Yes, I agree.” In some other cultures, a nod means, “I understand what you're saying, but you are a dope for thinking that way.” Americans grow up valuing initiative and creative solutions to problems. In China and many other parts of the world, deference to elders and authority prevents most workers from challenging a senseless status quo.

Quality control/productivity.

Third World factories are rapidly modernizing, yet it's still difficult to produce quality goods far from home. Keep in mind that in all things, you tend to get the quality you are willing to pay for, and dirt cheap overseas labor is largely unskilled, frequently illiterate labor. Moreover, many foreign workers were raised under socialist regimes where the work ethic was shaped by a mindset of “ask not what you can do for your country, but what your country can do for you.” Productivity almost always is much less than it is here.

Travel and transportation.

Plane fares costing thousands of dollars add up quickly, and so does management time spent on airplanes and recovering from jet lag. Many outsourcing companies severely underestimate the amount of travel required in selecting and supervising overseas partners. Shipping costs are even more burdensome. When an order needs to be filled in a hurry, ocean shipping sometimes must give way to ultra-expensive air transport.

Lead times and backlogs.

“Just-in-time” delivery is a dreamy concept when dealing with plants half a world away. Keep in mind, too, the growing problem of delays and backups at docks and transportation hubs worldwide due to globalization.

Capital expenditures.

Start-up costs often include building factories from scratch or at least substantial renovation and tooling. U.S. patrons sometimes must provide for sewers, roads and other infrastructure as well as factory bricks and mortar. The payback in labor savings may take years, but there's no guarantee you'll want to stick with the vendor that long.

Selection/supervision.

Some studies have estimated that costs associated with selecting an overseas vendor amount to as much as 2% of the contract value. Thus, for every $1 million worth of work being outsourced, it would cost $20,000 worth of travel, paperwork, legal fees, etc., to set it up. Although this is a one-time expense, ongoing supervision also gets more expensive halfway around the globe.

Layoff costs.

Laying off long-time employees back home not only is emotionally wrenching, but expensive due to severance and retention bonuses, unemployment compensation and other payouts governed by law, labor agreements or just plain compassion. Whatever good will is worth in a vacated community, kiss all of it goodbye.

Piracy.

Overseas outsourcing increases the risk to intellectual property. Knock-offs are a burgeoning problem in most hard-goods industries, and doing business in their backyard makes it that much easier for the counterfeiters - who may emanate from your overseas partner's dirt cheap payroll.

In addition to quantifiable expenses, overseas outsourcing leads to a host of intangible business hassles. You lose supply chain flexibility, inventory turns ratchet down and obsolescence up, customer service usually suffers, employee morale declines here at home, and so on.

When you look at this list of things that can and do go wrong, it makes you wonder why so many companies respond to the siren's call of overseas manufacturing. Of course, they have access to numbers that I don't, which may tell them whether it's paying off or not.