“Made in USA” is a popular theme with political undertones as people seek to improve the economy by bringing jobs back to American soil. Politics aside, though, American manufacturing is an idea that makes good economic sense.
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It used to be that the chosen way was to reach out to contract manufacturers in foreign countries. Most people believed this would result in lower prices that could be passed on to the consumer. In the past decade, however, experience has changed many companies’ philosophies. They have grown frustrated with the limitations of overseas manufacturers, and many companies are reporting that bringing production back to American soil has actually helped their bottom line.
The main shortcomings of overseas contract manufacturers are as follows:
- Shipping time. “Perpetual waiting” might describe this drawback of ordering from overseas companies. Many businesses reported waiting between two and three months for orders to show up. Precious time was wasted as operations halted pending product arrival. Some companies upgraded to air shipping, but that drove up costs by as much as a third. After all of the waiting, products sometimes showed up broken, and more waiting ensued. The money saved was hardly worth the headaches. Compare this to products arriving from a domestic manufacturer within just a few business days.
- Poor quality. One major problem with overseas factories is that they do not employ the same standards for quality control as domestic factories due. Thus, many companies found that output was consistently low-quality. This resulted in unhappy customers and a lot of time wasted having to return products. Once again, more waiting. In some cases, it even resulted in unsafe products that hurt customers and resulted in lawsuits.
- Challenges in communicating. When you work with an American manufacturer, you might have to deal with time changes of a few hours, but not the drastic differences that come with overseas contracting. It’s tough to set up a conference call with company officials who are going to bed just as you are waking up. Thus, communication becomes cumbersome at best. Many companies have switched back to using American factories for the convenience of being able to pick up the phone and work out issues at will, rather than having to wait excessively for replies or resolutions to problems.
At EMS Solutions, we are proud to be an American manufacturer who offers competitive rates along with a host of other benefits that you may not get with an overseas company. We strictly adhere to domestic regulations that allow us to produce consistently high-quality, safe products. We offer excellent customer service and communication and quick delivery. We also create jobs for the American workforce and protect the environment.