Wages are rising in Asia, energy costs are falling in the United States, and two out of three Americans at least say that they would pay higher prices for gadgets assembled in America. That means that it’s an ideal time for Motorola Mobility to try assembling the Moto X, its first phone designed under Google ownership, on shore.

Competitor Apple has done the same with new iMacs, and said that more manufacturing would move across the Pacific this year.

“Doing that work of actually assembling the phone close to home will allow us to fix things faster, innovate faster,” noted the head of Motorola Mobility, Dennis Woodside, talking to the Washington Post. Most electronic components are still made in Asia, and that business is unlikely to ever come back. It’s the final assembly that will be done in a facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

Why else move manufacturing back to the US, putting together smartphones here for the very first time? Well, the Post points out rather cynically, there’s no better way for Google to win favor with members of Congress and local politicians than creating delicious manufacturing jobs in their region.

Plan by Google’s Motorola to open Tex. factory signals shift as tech firms look to add U.S. jobs [Washington Post] (Thanks, Mindy!)
Motorola Opening Fort Worth Plant For First US Assembled Smartphone [CBS DFW]

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