“American Factory” is set in post-industrial Ohio, where a Chinese billionaire opens a new glass factory. The film follows multiple faces involved, including the man who started it all. It portrays many different viewpoints, and attempts to include all perspectives. The main focus of the movie was on was the divide in opinions, work ethic, background, and stereotypes surrounding the Americans and the Chinese.
After a General Motors facility closed down in 2008 in Dayton, Fuyao Glass America takes over the space and promises thousands of jobs. The twist was the inclusion of hundreds of Chinese workers as well, to increase diversity while aiming to change American’s perceptions. A good idea on the surface, but viewers and employees soon realize that the language and cultural barriers present a problem. Unable to communicate effectively, issues arise and continue to grow as workers are divided. Both the Americans and the Chinese assume stereotypes, and the company crumbles in its first few years. The chairman of Fuyao specifically says, “American workers are not efficient, and output is low.” This is what all the Chinese employees are taught, that Americans are self confident, and also lazy. Which compared to the lifestyle shown in Chinese factories, is easy to assume. Even as a call for a union divides the workforce even more, a theme arises: we’re all one world.
This film and message is related to IA in that despite differences in lifestyle and upbringing we are all connected by the world we live on. Fuyao has had positive profits since 2018, and still employs both American and Chinese workers. Diversity is a crucial aspect to success in many businesses. The cultural gap in the documentary caused problems as nobody was interested in fixing it, however, the viewpoints also allowed for different opinions to be shared and ideas to spread throughout the workforce and the company.