Smaller crews of more highly trained workers who can switch jobs with ease, as the research engineers upstream of them dream up new ways to manufacture products using fewer raw materials and less labor.

FORBES: GE Keeps Manufacturing Jobs In US -- For Highly Skilled

Once this first step is complete, those with conflict minerals in their products must carry out a reasonable country of origin assessment of their upstream supply chains, another significant undertaking.

FORBES: Conflict Minerals Rule Imposes Big Burdens On Manufacturers

Representatives of large, sophisticated companies that have been actively working to implement the expected requirements spoke eloquently at an October 2011 SEC Roundtable discussion of the complexity of their supply chains and the difficulty in obtaining solid information from their upstream suppliers on the origins of common, commodity metals like tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold in purchased products and components.

FORBES: Conflict Minerals Rule Imposes Big Burdens On Manufacturers