How's this for turnabout.

Lenovo, the now $30 billion Chinese company that bought IBM's PC operation in 2005 as a path to global glory and is now threatening to replace HP as the world's largest PC vendor, is going to start making PCs in North Carolina next year after the production line is built.

It swears it's not a publicity stunt. It means to start with a few million dollars and just over 100 workers and grow it into something meaningful. Of course it will be meaningful to the people hired to fill the 100 new jobs. The Wall Street Journal said unemployment in the area is about 10%.

Lenovo says the facility will make it more responsive to the demands of American corporate clients for supplies and product customization. And while it allows that the cost of US production will be higher than sourcing the gear in China or Mexico, as it currently does, the move will raise its profile in the US, where it ranks fourth in market share by shipment. It said that share supports having a local facility,

Lenovo is also conscious that making boxes in the US differentiates it from HP, Dell and Apple, which no longer make PCs in the US.

Lenovo uses IBM's old offices in North Carolina as its US headquarters.