I may have to give up one of my longest-standing indulgences: the dunking of an Oreo cookie in cold milk (whole is preferred). I don’t do this lightly, as I have been dunking those deliciously wicked rounds of chocolate and what I choose to believe is cream since I’ve been three. Read more
Mondelez International (Nabisco) will lay off half its 1,200 employees in its bakery on Chicago’s Southwest Side after deciding to invest significantly in a Mexico plant rather than its long-standing facility here. Read more
The ‘Industrial Internet’ is poised to overhaul the way companies manufacture goods, in turn changing our everyday interactions with products. Read more
It’s been two and a half years since Walmart announced its so-called “U.S. manufacturing initiative”, which means it’s time for another PR-heavy, Walmart manufacturing “summit,” this one in Bentonville, Arkansas on July 7th and 8th. Undoubtedly, Walmart will use the summit to deliver feel-good talking points to the media, so this seems like a good time to review some facts about Walmart’s impact on the U.S. manufacturing sector, past, present and future. Read more
President Obama is at Nike headquarters near Beaverton to promote a Pacific Rim trade agreement on May 8, 2015. Bruce Ely/Oregonian/Oregonlive/Pool
Nike took advantage of the attention generated by President Obama’s visit last week to make a bold statement: It would open a footwear factory in the United States, employing 10,000, if an international trade agreement gets approved. Read more
When President Obama visited Oregon in 2011, Nike Chief Executive Mark Parker foreshadowed what was on the sneaker giant’s horizon. Read more
As it prepared to welcome President Obama to its headquarters campus Friday morning, Nike announced it would pour more money into advanced footwear manufacturing in the United States if and when the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement is approved. Read more
The White House posted the full text of President Barack Obama’s speech at Nike headquarters near Beaverton on Friday morning. The White House has also posted a video of the speech. Read more
The Chinese Communist Party has created a new law that allows it to selectively ban foreign imports while propping up its own companies. The new law uses a loophole in world trade, and could push U.S. technology companies out of China. Read more
Detroit Quality Brushes is a company that does just what its name suggests: It makes high quality brushes in Detroit. Read more
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.
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
Posted: Nov 12, 2013 4:42 PM EST | Updated: Nov 22, 2013 4:42 PM EST
Libbey Inc. executive Dan Ibele announced today the company will invest $20 million in Libbey’s Shreveport manufacturing site, bringing new technology and a new research and development component to its operations. The capital investment in new glass making technology will create 70 new direct jobs, averaging more than $38,000 per year, plus benefits. The new investment will also generate an additional 75 new indirect jobs in the community for a total of more than 140 new jobs. Libbey also will retain 511 existing jobs in Shreveport. 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
When you walk into a restaurant, or a bar, whether you realize it or not, you judge the establishment based on your surrounding environment. Before you ever take a bite, or a sip, you naturally notice the decor, and make the decision – do I stay, or do I find somewhere else to go? 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
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
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.
PITTSBURGH—Thorley Industries LLC began planning several years ago to launch a baby car seat with a set of electronic controls and a potential novelty: The Pittsburgh-based firm considered making the seats in the U.S. 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
Forced labor takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable – women and girls forced into prostitution, migrants trapped in debt bondage, and sweatshop or farm workers kept there by clearly illegal tactics and paid little or nothing. Read more
