Reshoring Initiative and Walmart Helping Suppliers Reshore
The Reshoring Initiative recently announced a program in partnership with Walmart to help companies manufacture more consumer products in the United States. Read more
Tag Archive for: Manufacturing
U.S. Factories Still Haven’t Recovered From The Recession
It took less than a year for America’s factory output to rebound from the 1991 recession. It took 3½ years to bounce back from the 2001 recession. Now, six years clear of the Great Recession, manufacturing output still hasn’t returned to the pre-crisis levels it reached in 2007, according to revised economic data from the Federal Reserve. Read more
The Trade Deficit is Responsible for Manufacturing Job Loss
Growing trade deficit and the collapse of manufacturing output following the Great Recession are directly responsible for the loss of 5 million U.S. manufacturing jobs that occurred between 2000 and 2014. As the figure below shows, manufacturing started rapidly declining in 2000, just as the U.S. manufacturing trade deficit began to rise sharply. A rising trade deficit indicates that U.S. manufacturers are losing business to manufacturing industries in other countries like China and Japan, who manipulate their currency to make their goods cheaper and therefore more appealing to consumers in the United States and elsewhere. This leads to reduced demand for goods produced by U.S. manufacturers, both at home and abroad. Read more
Chinese Textile Manufacturers Bring Jobs Back to America
Twenty-five years ago, Ni Meijuan earned $19 a month working the spinning machines at a vast textile factory in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. Read more
What’s So Great About Manufacturing?
Democrats and Republicans disagree on a lot, but leaders of both parties are as keen now as they were decades ago to embrace manufacturing jobs. Read more
South Carolina’s Push to Grow Jobs
While I am no fan of the Chinese owning Volvo, I am proud of “my” home state showing that manufacturing can be accomplished in America. Thanks for pushing forward and leading the charge to bring manufacturing back to America.
– James Kidd, Fan of The Made in America Movement
SOURCE: Yahoo Finance
The Next Industrial Revolution Should Happen In America
The ‘Industrial Internet’ is poised to overhaul the way companies manufacture goods, in turn changing our everyday interactions with products. Read more
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing US Manufacturing Jobs
WHY MANUFACTURING SHOULD RETURN TO AMERICA
7 Key Facts to Keep in Mind about Walmart’s U.S. Manufacturing Summit
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
Made in USA Nike Footwear a Slam Dunk — Some Day
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
Nike CEO told POTUS About U.S. Manufacturing 4 Years Ago
When President Obama visited Oregon in 2011, Nike Chief Executive Mark Parker foreshadowed what was on the sneaker giant’s horizon. Read more
Nike To Create 10,000 Jobs in U.S. with Approved Trade Pact
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
Read Obama’s Speech at Nike: Full text
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
Lots of Fuzzy Numbers Behind Walmart’s American Manufacturing Push
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
Walmart: Opening Our Doors – to Open Bigger Ones Across America
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 Introduces Finest Quality Glassware Made in USA
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
Libbey Glass Announces $20 Million Investment and New Jobs
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
U.S. Manufacturing Costs Almost As Low As China’s
Manufacturing in the United States of America is becoming more affordable. The reason? Fracking. Read more
Power to Save: ‘Made in Scranton’ Solar Power
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
Made in USA: What’s real. What’s not.
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
Innovation and Hard Work Made America Great
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
SoftWear Automation, Creating U.S. Jobs by Revolutionizing the Textile Industry
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:
- Lower costs on both labor as well as shipping costs, dramatically dropping the costs of creating sewn products
- Increase precision of products with ThreadCount™ technology
- Speed up production and deliver products to consumers faster
- Reduce waste
- Customization will become commonplace and inexpensive
- Localize manufacturing
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.
What sewn products are you most excited to have Made In America?
WTO Attacks Commonsense Country of Origin Labels
The World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that mandatory country of origin labels (COOL) rules for meat and poultry that went into effect in 2013 still ran afoul of the global trade rules. The WTO’s compliance panel decided that the goal of country of origin labels was not trade illegal, but it narrowly found that the implementation of the COOL rules discouraged livestock imports from Canada and Mexico.
Manufacturing: If You Can Make It Here, Don’t Make It Anywhere Else
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
Manufacturers Advise Peers to Open Doors and Minds to Millennials
With American manufacturing on an upward trajectory, what will it take to sustain its momentum? Karen Norheim, Executive Vice President, American Crane & Equipment Corporation and Tracy Tenpenny, Partner, Tailored Label Products (TLP), believe they have a big part of the answer.
Both Ms. Norheim and Mr. Tenpenny say that attracting Millennial (age 18-32) workers to the industry is critical for maintaining progress. They point to recent research that clearly validates their belief. Read more
Military Will Now Buy 100% American Flags
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
The Story behind Starbucks Community Tables, Made in the USA
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
Butterball to Revive Former Raeford Turkey Plant
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
Is America Ready for “Made in the U.S.A.” Clothing?
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
