Last year, we broke the record in American exports for the fifth year in a row: hitting $2.35 trillion. Why? Because business owners, government leaders and domestic consumers are increasingly realizing the importance of American-made manufacturing. Reshoring isn’t slowing down any time soon.
So why exactly do 96 percent of voters have a favorable view of American-made products?
Why “Made in America” Matters
According to the Federal Trade Commission, for a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limits on the claim, the product must be “all or virtually all” made in the U.S. Here’s what it means for our country:
American jobs. Buying more American-made products helps to stimulate the economy. If contractors increased USA-made materials by just 5 percent, it would create 200,000 jobs.
Safer products. It’s not uncommon to hear about contaminated items being recalled from other countries. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Departments of Commerce and Agriculture are held to higher quality requirements than foreign competitors–which means we can feel safer using American products.
Environmental benefits. Parts that often begin in America are shipped to another country to be made, and then transported back to the U.S. to be distributed and sold. This extra step uses unnecessary gas, emissions and resources. Also, other countries follow looser emission regulations–meaning that they are capable of producing dangerous, heavy pollution.
Higher standards. Foreign labor standards in other countries are not the same as in the U.S. When you purchase American-made products, you’re supporting the safety working conditions, child labor laws and minimum wage standards that other countries often ignore.
Made in the USA: Companies that are doing it right
The following companies are making a point to manufacture most, if not all, of their products in America:
Weber Grills
Weber grills have been made in Illinois since George Stephen created the invention in 1952. Since then, many grills have been developed–but the design hasn’t changed shape. Weber does produce two inexpensive gas models oversea, but all other grills are made in Illinois.
The brand has been highly recognized, too. Consumer Reports gives Weber top marks for mid-size gas grills, Good Housekeeping would splurge on a top-of-the-line grill and the brand is the global industry’s leading manufacturer in dollar share of sales.
GE Appliances
General Electric has committed itself to manufacturing American-made appliances by investing $1 billion in new plans, equipment and technology and upgraded employee training. In result, 70 to 90 percent of GE’s products consist of U.S. content. It’s Made in America website highlights the refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, washers and dryers and other appliances made domestically.
Crayola Crayons
All of Crayola’s art supplies are made at its factory in Easton, Pennsylvania. The company, which has annual revenue of $750 million, makes 3 billion crayons, 600 million colored pencils, 465 million markers, 110 million sticks of chalk, 9 million Silly Putty eggs and 1.5 million jars of paint annually. Crayola employs a workforce of 1,650 and is headquartered in Easton.
Intel
Roughly 75 percent of Intel’s microprocessors are made in the U.S. Why? The company has invested billions of dollars in domestic plants. Since 2009, it’s invested $18 billion to build and sustain manufacturing facilities in Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico.
General Motors
For the third consecutive year, General Motors’ Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles led the ‘Made in America’ Automotive Index, produced by American University’s Kogod School of Business. The study considered location of global headquarters, assembly, production and research and development, among other things. According to the American Automotive Labeling Act, at least 75 percent of these cars’ parts came from the U.S. or Canada.
Alex and Ani
A modern brand, Alex and Ani jewelry comes stamped with a “Made in America with love” message. The company emphasizes the power of positive energy, and therefore is only manufactured in select American cities–and only with materials that are sustainable and derived from eco-conscious processes.
Over the past few years, Alex and Ani has created a lot of traction, receiving awards from Inc. 500, Internet Retailer Top 500, U.S. Department of Commerce and Cause Marketing.
Apple Rubber: Made at home in Lancaster
We’re proud to provide our employees with safe working conditions, healthy wages with benefits and strict restrictions on child labor–all right here in Lancaster. Aside from our social conscious efforts, it allows us to provide customers with the highest quality products.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen many companies come to us for American-made products,” John Tranquilli, materials manager, says. “Because they can easily visit our plant, customers are able to audit our processes and feel confident we are meeting or exceeding their quality expectations. We do multiple quality audits a year with both our customers and quality control personnel.”
What are your favorite American-made products? We’ve love to chat. Connect with us on Twitter @AppleRubber.