Walmart, the nation’s largest importer of foreign goods by volume, is currently hosting an open call for American-made product pitches at its Arkansas headquarters. This “American manufacturing summit” is part of the company’s commitment – made very publicly, with lots of fanfare, in 2013 – to buy $250 billion worth of American-made products by 2023. Read more
100 new hires. That’s how many Emilia PC expects to add by the end of this year, all resulting from one step the beauty product manufacturer took roughly 12 months ago: attending Walmart’s Open Call for products that support American jobs.
CERTIFIED, Inc. (madeinusa.net), the nation’s leading independent, non-governmental organization (NGO) certification company Made in USA claims, reported today that KLEAR VU CORPORATION of Fall River, Massachusetts has earned a Made in USA CERTIFIED® Seal for its quality Delightfill® chair pad and chair pad gripper line, fully documenting these products comply with the qualification and quantification that all or virtually all of the product components originate in the United States. Read more
Libbey Inc., the number one glassware tableware company in the Americas, introduced today the finest quality glassware manufactured in the U.S. The nearly 200-year old company invented a state-of-the-art process from furnace to forming to finishing that enables the most brilliant and strongest soda lime glassware to be produced in the U.S. The new stemware and tumbler collection, called Perfect Signature™, will be available to retail markets later this year. Read more
American Apparel will close underperforming stores and cut jobs as part of a $30 million cost-cutting strategy to turn its floundering business around. Read more
There are so many ways for Americans to express their patriotism, from flying the Stars and Stripes this 4th of July and voting in elections to serving in the military and chanting “U-S-A.! U-S-A!” during the Olympics. That’s what makes America great — each of us can relate to and demonstrate our patriotism in our own unique fashion. Read more
Manufacturing in the United States of America is becoming more affordable. The reason? Fracking. Read more
For home furnishings manufacturers, the impetus to move a larger proportion of their manufacturing to the United States is about more than patriotism. It’s about that time-tested business fact—that the customer is always right.
MADISON TOWNSHIP — So far, this summer has been a little lacking in sunlight, but still, one man’s new addition to his backyard in Lackawanna County is doing well. Read more
CERTIFIED, Inc. (madeinusa.net), the nation’s leading independent, non-governmental organization (NGO) certification company for Country of Origin claims, reported today that ZEIGLER’S has earned a Product of USA CERTIFIEDTM Seal for its natural Apple Cider, the first such cider to qualify after a detailed supply chain audit that documents all components and processes. Such certification will reinforce to consumers the quality of ZEIGLER’S Apple Cider. Read more
Last fall, Wal-Mart promised to purchase $250 billion in Made in USA products by 2023, a move it said would create 1 million U.S. jobs over time. Two-thirds of the goods in its domestic stores are already made, sourced, assembled, or grown in the United States, the company added. Read more
Made in America – Most Americans love the idea of buying a Made in USA product instead of an import. But sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. Read more
The thousands of products that pass through Consumer Reports test labs each year come from all corners of the globe. There are washing machines and water heaters from Mexico, TVs and refrigerators from South Korea, dishwashers and vacuums from Germany. We see lots of appliances that are made right here in the U.S. too, of course. Every country has winners and losers when it comes to quality and performance. Read more
An Arizona family won a $435,000 judgment in federal court after a child swallowed a decorative bead coated with a chemical that metabolized into a date-rape drug when ingested, marking the first verdict of its kind in the nation over the toy. The toy was made in China. Read more
Aug. 14, 2008
From lunchboxes and backpacks to baby cribs and toy figurines, a lengthy effort to make children’s products safer has finally cleared the final hurdles. New toy safety standards become law. Read more
KENTWOOD, Mich. (WZZM) – A toothbrush company that outsourced some of its manufacturing to China years ago is bringing work back to West Michigan. Read more
Guest post by Monica Gomez
America has always been known as the “land of opportunity.” But opportunity doesn’t knock unless you work hard for it. While tycoons and businessmen may have shaped the oil, steel, and auto industries, the reality is many of them came from humble beginnings, and worked alongside the skilled tradesmen they later employed before amassing their own wealth—a true testament to the power of the American dream. Read more
The SewBots have arrived and they are bringing manufacturing back to the United States. SoftWear Automation, in Atlanta Georgia, has developed robotic technology for the textile industry to automate sewing, significantly reducing manufacturing labor costs. The machines are surprisingly inexpensive and allow for greater precision, higher speed and much longer hours than the traditional seamstress can manage by hand.
We first became aware of SoftWear thanks to Valerie Uhlir. Valerie serves as our Chief Marketing Officers, in addition to leading a boutique marketing agency based in Atlanta where she has worked with a large number of high-growth global brands over the past few years. She served as SoftWear’s head of marketing and PR from 2014 through the end of 2015, helping the company perfect their messaging leading to the wave of coverage including features by The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, The Economist, and many others. Given the company is based in the USA and could have such a large impact on American manufacturing, we’re happy to cover them.
“Not only will this technology help manufacturers bring operations back to the United States with the reduction of labor costs, it will create higher paying technical jobs for American workers.”, said Valerie. Traditionally, manufacturing jobs are some of the least desirable roles that many individuals do not desire due to the repetition, poor work environments (hot warehouse, anyone?) and low wages. High turnover and an aging workforce have made it difficult for manufacturers to keep jobs here. Additionally, other nations do not have minimum wage restrictions and are willing to use underage labor due to less stringent regulations. All of these factors have created a void of manufacturing in the United States, SoftWear Automation would like to change that.
This month alone, the company is delivering several LOWRY systems to manufactures in the southeast United States. The future of sewn product manufacturing has officially arrived.
The U.S. has lost thousands of jobs in the past 10 years due to offshoring. In 1960, 95% of clothing sold in the USA was made here. Today, 98% of clothing purchased in the U.S. was made abroad. By implementing this technology, American manufacturing plants have several advantages:
Tailored clothing and details customized to an individual have long been expensive due to the additional time and costs to create customization. SoftWear technology eliminates that additional cost. Add this to online ordering and it is a recipe for low cost customization. For example, the software could make your jeans slightly smaller in the waist than the last pair of jeans in the same amount of time it would have made them anyway.
“Robotics are already taking over multiple industries, creating safer work environments and helping with some tough, dirty jobs. Textiles have been challenging to automate due to the pliable nature of fabric. SoftWear has created hardware that detects bunching and can fix creases before fabric is sewn, changing the game in fabric automation.“, said Valerie.
Walmart believes in bringing manufacturing back to the United States, but they also know that keeping prices low will be a challenge for their brands. Walmart invested a two million dollar grant to SoftWear Automation, through ATDC, to help bridge the gap and provide this technology to brands that want to bring their manufacturing home.
Sound exciting? We left out just one thing: this technology is for ALL SEWN products. Shoes, curtains, jackets, pants, carpet, towels, ties, hats, backpacks, blankets, bedding, car upholstery, handbags, hair ties, baby toys…
Watch the SoftWear LOWRY system work its magic here:
Connect with the friendly team @SoftWearInc on twitter to stay updated on how they continually disrupt the manufacturing industry.
In a recent study conducted by Consumer Reports, more than 60 percent of people interviewed claimed they would gladly shell out more money for American made products—even if those products cost an average of 10 percent more than products sourced internationally. Read more
An adult Columbia sheep at the Imperial Ranch in Maupin, Ore. OLIVER JEVREMOV
When Maxine Bedat and Soraya Darabi set out to make a wool sweater entirely in the U.S., their first challenge was finding sheep. Read more
Image credit: The AutoMotovated Cyclist | Flickr
In a world flooded with cheap imports and overseas production, many people are surprised to hear that some companies still proudly manufacture their products 100% in the United States. One such company is Liberty Tabletop, the only manufacturer of flatware in the United States, located in Sherrill, New York — right in the heart of American manufacturing.
While the “Made in the USA” label was once seen as a nice marketing slogan, today it represents something far more significant. For companies like Liberty Tabletop, manufacturing in America isn’t just about patriotism — it’s a business advantage, a commitment to quality, and a roadmap for a stronger future economy.
As Gen Z steps into the workforce, and as trade schools train the next generation of makers, the conversation around American manufacturing, insourcing, and reshoring has never been more relevant.
Let’s explore why American manufacturing matters more than ever — not just for businesses, but for our economy, environment, workforce, and communities. Read more
You’ve probably seen, but may not have noticed, labels on the meat at your grocery store that say something like “Born, Raised, & Harvested in the U.S.A.” or “Born and Raised in Canada, Slaughtered in the U.S.”
Read moreThe U.S. economy is facing a predicament the Federal Reserve didn’t anticipate — a stronger than expected U.S. dollar. Investors are encouraged to Buy American. Read more
Photo by Gabrielle Lazaro/Daily Sun staff
Rep. Mike Thompson announced that the U.S. Department of Defense has issued a rule to implement Thompson’s legislative provision requiring every American flag purchased by the Department of Defense to be 100 percent manufactured in the United States. Read more
A group of Army Reservists in uniform sit around a community table in a Starbucks near a military base. With coffee cups close, they pour over planning papers. Their attention is focused on the task at hand; unaware the large table they’re using was handmade in the U.S.A. Read more
Garner-based Butterball LLC will take over a turkey plant formerly occupied by House of Raeford, bringing hundreds of poultry processing jobs back to Hoke County, officials said Thursday. Read more
Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music, is now becoming known for its car production.
Is American manufacturing undergoing a renaissance? Manufacturing jobs have come back in force, and advanced industries are leading the US recovery, according to the Brookings Institution. Read more
While the reshoring tide is undeniably rising, the prospect of clothing and apparel manufacturing returning to the United States remains uncertain. Back in the 1960s, about 95% of clothing worn in the U.S.A. was also made here. Today the opposite is true. Can we flip the switch again? Read more
Does your manufacturing firm have enough facilities creating the optimum number of products in the right locations? Read more
