Made in U.S.A.
Made in America Gift Ideas
Montauk Tackle Apparel is Made in the U.S.A. and it’s the perfect gift idea this holiday season. For more great Made in America gift ideas, go here.
Made in America is Making a Comeback
U.S. exports hit a record $173 billion in March, up 15% from a year-ago and 37% from 2009. The good times for “Made in America” are just getting started, according to a new study from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
In fact, BCG predicts 2015 will be a tipping point of sorts, when global manufacturers will view the U.S. as equal to if not better-than China.
Reasons why:
- Rising wages in China plus the strengthening yuan are eroding China’s cost advantage vs. the U.S.
- America’s “very productive, motivated and flexible workforce” is attractive to employers and all aspects of U.S. society — including unions and state governments — are “focused on creating jobs.”
- Intangibles such as the length of the supply chain and the challenges of communicating over multiple time zones work to the advantage of the U.S. (The same is true of Mexico, which BCG says is “also poised to benefit as a low-cost alternative” to China.)
American Businesses are Bringing Jobs Home Again
General Electric appliance plant is being renovated to begin producing refrigerators and water heaters now being made overseas. Hiring of about 1,300 union-represented workers is due to begin this fall.
A technical support call center for computer back-up firm Carbonite will start taking calls this summer in Lewiston, Maine. By the end of this year, 150 jobs that had been located in India will be shifted to there, with another 100 jobs expected to be added next year.
NCR has hired about 500 workers to build ATM machines and self-service checkout systems at a Columbus, GA plant. It plans to add another 370 jobs by 2014, building products that were formerly produced at plants in China, Hungary and Brazil.
NCR looked at the cost of shipping products, as well as the need to have the plant close to the engineering staff and customers in order to constantly improve the machines, it decided to build the Georgia plant.
Greater quality was the major factor cited by Carbonite for moving back jobs to the U.S. as well. The company’s call center in New Delhi, India was having turnover of 100% or more each year. Meanwhile, turnover in its Boston call center was in the single digits which allowed the Boston call center to provide much better service and customer satisfaction.
For GE, the decision to reopen the Louisville plant, which had been closed for decades, was based on the fact that it’s no longer as expensive to hire more workers in the U.S. When you factor in currency fluctuations and rising wages in emerging markets, the United States is becoming a lot more attractive.
Chinese labor costs are rising about 15% to 20% a year. That makes producing goods in China not nearly as cheap as it used to be. For many manufacturers, that narrowing is enough to tip the balance back to U.S. plants.
Still, some think the number of jobs coming back to the U.S. will remain relatively small.
US Congress and Dept. of Homeland Security buy only American made goods
On Wednesday, September 15th 2010 the US House of Representatives passed two different bills that stipulate that Congress and the Department of Homeland Security buy only American made goods.
The Made in America Act, introduced by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, mandates the Congress to purchase US-made goods and services.
The Berry Amendment Extension Act, a bill introduced by Congressman Larry Kissell, directs the Department of Homeland Security and all of its agencies to purchase clothing and other products made exclusively in America.
Montauk Tackle, a “Made in the U.S.A.” company, also believes in supporting the US economy by making their Fishing T-Shirts, Button-down Dress Shirts and Performance Fishing Shirts right here in America.
Source: International Business Times
