Sandego.net – American companies are being pressed to rethink supply chains that have long depended on China, even as many lack practical alternatives for the specialized parts they need. The shift is becoming especially visible in robotics, electric vehicles, drones and other industries where Chinese factories have built major advantages in price, scale and production speed.

For Rajat Bhageria, founder of San Francisco robotics startup Chef Robotics, the issue has become increasingly urgent. Seven years after launching the company, he is preparing for the possibility that its robot arms may eventually need to be built without Chinese-made components.…