Proudly Made in the USA.

[PaulRobert]

Hello Everyone! As many people know on this forum, I am in the process of developing my own product. Since I am having this product made in the US, I have come to decision that I will have this phrase included.

"Proudly Made in the USA"

Instead of Made in China.

So my question to everyone here is-- How do you feel when you see a Made in the USA slogan on a product? More patriotic, more lenient to buy it? Whatever comes to mind, please feel free to share!

Thanks everyone!

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

All things held equal, I'd rather pick the USA product. Perhaps, even pay slightly more. However, if your market is big in the UK, Australia, and Europe, it might detract. Can't say cuz I don't know what your product is.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Also keep in mind, anything that differentiates you from the competition is a selling factor that defines your brand. If 4 competitors are made in China and yours is the only US model, you have a USP defined, which could be one of many.

 

[Rem]

If you are manufacturing something that will be targeted to those in the heart of America and mainly rural areas you may have some great success. If you are targeting mostly to large city life areas like Los Angeles, California or New York, New York then it probably wouldn't hurt but it wouldn't help much.

 

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[GoldenEggs]

It depends on the item. I would not automatically buy something just because it was made in the USA. I would spend more for custom/made to order items made in the USA.

 

[Rem]

I agree. I am the same way. I think it may help if you were manufacturing NASCAR products for instance. If I were to pick up a toy model car and turned it over and say Made in China and on a different style box I turned it over and it said PROUDLY MADE IN THE GOOD OL' US of A then I would get my kid the one from the U.S.

:smx2:

 

[hakrjak]

I generally associate something made in the USA with a better quality than the products made elsewhere. I figure that they can use heavier weight raw materials because they don't have to worry about shippping half way around the world, and that the people who are assembling it are generally not children or prison inmates, so that's good.... Also I like if something actually has a warranty where I can mail something back in the USA.... Love the warranty on my Ray Ban sunglasses for example.... Had a few pair break over the years, I mail them in with $10 and get a brand new pair in my mailbox from NJ a month or so later!

Cheers,

- Hakrjak

 

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[PaulRobert]

Thank you everyone for your replies. As always, these are great responses.

 

[sharper]

I'd buy something made in the UK over china for sure infact i do! Why? because alot of the time you hear how expensive it is to produce something in the UK ( not sure how true that is) so they outsoruce it. If this is true then maybe the company is taking a risk in poducing it here rather than in china or india and risk takers get my vote!:fastlane:

 

[WestCoast]

Not to be a wet blanket , but I think the majority of customers don't care at all.


I remember a few years ago getting two logos made for a product I am now importing.
One said Product XYZ

the other Product XYZ - Made in the USA

I didn't do any scientific analysis, but the Made in the USA logo didn't fire up customers where the other logo missed them.


Now, like others have said, your market/product offering might be highly susceptible to a desire to support US manufacturing, and it could be a nice point of differentiation as MJ said.

--
Think about cars.

To some folks, made in the USA (or at least a US car company) is a requirement to buy.

To others, they wouldn't own a car built by Ford/Chevy/Chrysler if it were the last car on earth.

--
I much prefer to sell on the merits of the product, the perceived value and the actual quality - precisely because I can't control how my customers individually might feel about the country of origin.

 

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[mkzhang]

Makes no difference to be honest, where its produce should only be decided from an profitability and supply chain perspective.

Unless of course, where its produced plays an extremely important marketing role or branding.

 

[Blue]

What does made in the USA mean?

Does it mean the whole thing is made in the USA? If I import a t-shirt from China but get it printed on in the US, is it made in the USA? What if I printed on the t-shirt and then stonewashed it and then added some bedazzle bling bling onto the shirt. Is it made in the USA?

Just wondering. I know of some products that all the parts are made in China and then they are put together by hand labor in the US. To me, it's made in the USA. But if you break it into parts, it's made in China.

 

[Russ H]

Wow, every once in a while the responses here just blow me away.

Great, great insights.

I think there are few things going on here:

1. It depends on the product. I grew up in Detroit. And while I own a lot of Ford steel out of allegiance to my family (grandpa worked for Ford), I personally believe that imports-- esp from Germany-- are better cars overall. But that's just me.

2. If the product had ANYTHING to tie in w/patriotism, it's a slam dunk. There was a flag company that had all of their flags made in the USA. When 9/11 happened, they were the #1 flag seller in America. Remember how everyone had flags out back then, right after it happened?

So like NASCAR, or taking care of our troops, or doing anything that makes you feel proud to be an American, being made in the USA is a plus.

3. The geographic preferences I think are real: Those in the heartland will prefer "Made in the USA", while it may not be as important for those on the coasts.

4. Don't underestimate the power of "imported" things (see video, below). You want great towels? Get them from Turkey. Fashion? Italy, or France. Single Malt Scotch? Scotland. You get the idea. So if your product has any kind of identity w/a locale or region, that can really make a difference.

RE: The video: OK, so it's a bit annoying. But the message is important: For someone that can have anything they want, getting "the best in the world" means something-- and they're happy to pay more for it.

YouTube - High School Musical 2 (HSM2) - Fabulous by Ashley Tisdale - Official Music Video (HD) & Lyrics

5. More people are getting accustomed to a global marketplace --- so much so that they no longer even look at where something is made. They just buy on reputation, or price (or both).

Again, really great observations on this thread. Makes me glad I'm here.

-Russ H.

 

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[EastWind]

don't listen to these peeps on here talking about it doesn't matter! it does matter! chinese have no care for quality.

go to a plumbing supply store, look at the black iron fittings! most of them are made in china, however, ask the guy there which one you should get and if there is one made in USA, grab it! they are less prone to leaking, simple iron pipes and fittings! unbelievable. nothing mechanical, mass produced and cut with a machine, yet the threads from the ones in china tend to be more troublesome. this is for the simplest piece of material. now factor that into a complex product made of multiple parts. There is a reason china manufactures cars yet none is being sold in US.

 

[mkzhang]

don't listen to these peeps on here talking about it doesn't matter! it does matter! chinese have no care for quality.

go to a plumbing supply store, look at the black iron fittings! most of them are made in china, however, ask the guy there which one you should get and if there is one made in USA, grab it! they are less prone to leaking, simple iron pipes and fittings! unbelievable. nothing mechanical, mass produced and cut with a machine, yet the threads from the ones in china tend to be more troublesome. this is for the simplest piece of material. now factor that into a complex product made of multiple parts. There is a reason china manufactures cars yet none is being sold in US.

This has got to be the most uneducated post I've ever read on the internet :coco: That is so generalizing it is border line racist.

Did you know your ipods are made in China? Did you know the world's largest maker of lithium ion battery is in China? Did you know GE produces their wind turbine generators in a joint venture company in China? Did you know the world's largest apparel maker is in China?

There is a difference between procuring from crap manufacturers and taking the effort to set up a more cooperative working relationships with the factory including quality checks.You're an American right? What do you know about quality? If I hire you for 8 an hour to sew me a shirt you think you can make a good shirt? You know nothing about quality, and neither does any workers anywhere unless they are taught.

As the company who designs and sells the product under their own brand/name, it should your responsibility for the quality. Whether it is designing a good quality system from the get go and making it in house, or implement a quality checking system at the offshore location.

Stop blaming others for your failures and responsibility for your own actions. Sitting on your a$$ and letting someone else make the product for you, even if its your neighbor down the street, with your management style, the product will still come out like shit.

 

[lexingtonjames]

Yeah, this guy should know better than to post something like that! I have bought 3 Dishwashers in the past 5 years because they were all made in china.

 

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[PaulRobert]

Absolutely Outstanding responses everyone. Everyone has put in their own perspective on this, which is excellent. After doing a little bit more research and working on my own I have come to this little analysis.

A "Made in the USA" logo can be good for a product. It does separate you from your competitors but there are some exceptions like the following-

1. The goal of your product- If your product is aimed to promote a US company and it says Made in China in fine print, it is somewhat a let down. But what if you are a US company that wants to provide a product for Americans but you have to make it overseas, so your potential consumers do not have to pay a fortune to get their hands on your product? (Just think if Apple made their iPods here.)

2. Cost of Manufacturing- Lets face the truth, labor is cheaper in many other countries around the world. As Russ states, business is not done only in North America, it is a global economy, why not take advantage of it? But, what if you are in a scenario where it is almost the same price to produce it here in the US or in China? Which resource will provide a good quality product for a good price? Is it better to have a high quality product that will cut into your profit margin by a percentage, or would you rather have more profit for yourself at the expense of the customer?

These are just a few things that I have thought of and remember as I am typing this.

Thanks everyone again for your input!

 

[mkzhang]

1. The goal of your product- If your product is aimed to promote a US company and it says Made in China in fine print, it is somewhat a let down. But what if you are a US company that wants to provide a product for Americans but you have to make it overseas, so your potential consumers do not have to pay a fortune to get their hands on your product? (Just think if Apple made their iPods here.)

I might not have read correctly, but I think you you meant it was cheaper for Apple to produce Ipod over seas right?

2. Cost of Manufacturing- Lets face the truth, labor is cheaper in many other countries around the world. As Russ states, business is not done only in North America, it is a global economy, why not take advantage of it? But, what if you are in a scenario where it is almost the same price to produce it here in the US or in China? Which resource will provide a good quality product for a good price? Is it better to have a high quality product that will cut into your profit margin by a percentage, or would you rather have more profit for yourself at the expense of the customer?

Quality should be exactly the same anywhere in the world. Take my word on this, I have a MBA in supply chain, it is my background lol, even if I do not work in this field at least I have a little bit more textbook knowledge.

Quality should depend on the process, all dells are made in China (up to a point). It is harder to govern quality if you do not have the necessary people on the ground.

But quality aside, if its just as cheap to produce in USA why not produce it here? Save on shipping, save on logistics, and you can manage the process easier

What you should worry about is the production process, how can you spot and prevent the defects... and spotting defects when you're opening the boxes of the shipments from this morning is not the way to do it. Prevention measures > reactionary measures in both time and money saved.

Next to consider is how you can save when working with manufacturers, I will provide an example below.

Take dell for example. Dell forecasts demand for their computers, and orders motherboards and components constantly in Asia. The components are then all assembled into a basic chassis and shipped to the USA into a 3rd party logistic warehouse.

Once a person places an order for a computer, Dell takes the computer from the 3PL warehouse and assembles unique components into the chassis then ships it out.

Get this, before the chassis leaves the 3PL warehouse, the 3PL owns all of the inventory of computer chassis, before the chassis leaves China, all of the boards and components are all owned by their perspective manufacturers.

Dell does not own their own inventory, the instant you paid for your computer after you customize it, dell pulls the chassis from the warehouse and then "owns" it. But then they ship it right out after a week. Imagine the saving!

Dell commits to these purchase but does not actually pay for them until the demand comes in, now that is what I call playing it safe, almost no risks for them!

Now try to do this by ordering individual components in Asia and then storing it in your own warehouse and assembling it, now tell me if that is cheaper.

Dell controls their quality well, AMD and Intel are all made in Asia, so are the harddrives and ram, I don't see anything wrong with it.

The same can be done in the USA obviously, it comes down to the same old issue:

Find the right supplier
Find the right manufacturer
Control the process
Cooperate

 

[EastWind]

This has got to be the most uneducated post I've ever read on the internet :coco: That is so generalizing it is border line racist.

Did you know your ipods are made in China? Did you know the world's largest maker of lithium ion battery is in China? Did you know GE produces their wind turbine generators in a joint venture company in China? Did you know the world's largest apparel maker is in China?

OH, GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSES!
When people credit Japanese for quality is that racist? Shut up already. Chinese companies are terrible when it comes to product quality and that's fact. Yes, one day, they might get good, but as of now, they are bad. Back in the day, no one in their right mind drove a Hyundai, it was an absolute piece of shit. But as of 2010? they have improved their quality, the new sontata, sante fe are very nice cars. Their reliability has gone up that they can boldly offer cars with 100k miles warranty on drive train. How come they can sell their cars in US and China can't? Quality.

With that said, you mentioned IPOD. IPOD is not a product of a chinese company. Nor are GE products. You miss the point. There is something CALLED PROCESS. It doesn't matter if the IPOD is made in China, Africa, Ohio or Mexico. It's the process of the companies that matters. American companies are well aware of processes and quality assurance and hold on to it, so that's why their products are superior to the chinese counterparts. This is also the same reason why Honda/Toyota could build their cars in US and it will still exceed the Americans in quality, due to their process.

NOTE, that these american companies are not OUTSOURCING their product to China, they established plants there to build it, get it? big difference. An American companie's product is still american irrespective of where they built it, since the culture/history will end up affecting the product. Get it?

You're an American right?

Actually, I'm not. I'm Chinese! BOOYA!

What do you know about quality? If I hire you for 8 an hour to sew me a shirt you think you can make a good shirt? You know nothing about quality, and neither does any workers anywhere unless they are taught.

Listen, you are thinking of the parts, I'm talking about the whole. When we buy a product, we are not thinking of it as parts, but as a whole. What makes the quality doesn't fall to the skill of one individual, but the "skill of the organization", their talent, their PROCESS, their SYSTEM. This is what serparates winners from losers. If me and you go exactly into the same industry, we may have the same raw material, capital, amount of labour, and equal talent. but the deal breaker will be our process/systems, something others also call execution!

Stop blaming others for your failures and responsibility for your own actions. Sitting on your a$$ and letting someone else make the product for you, even if its your neighbor down the street, with your management style, the product will still come out like shit.

Now you are clearly ranting and trolling and taking it all personal. You have to wonder, why will I just wake up and one day decide to pick on china? please, because my wallet has felt it! Before there was made in China, there was made in taiwan, and they were they inferior cheap goods.

Now, hear, hear, I'm not saying that the best products can't be made in China, nor that Chinese companies are not capable of. But as a whole, their products tends to SUCK more than others, they WIN hugely in one area, PRICE/COST! The reason being, lack of experience, it's a growing industry. With time, they will learn to do things right.

Thank you! now kick rocks! :coolgleamA:

 

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[mkzhang]

I am here to give advice, not opinions.

You have no experience in this field, please take your useless opinions and share it elsewhere. People here are wondering if they should setup their manufacturing operations in China vs USA.

Go online and look at Mindray, the biggest producer of medical diagnostic equipments inside of China. Any healthcare experts can tell you their product is top notch, and they outsell GE (life science unit) inside of China.

Your inability to distinguish from between the process and the whole is your problem, not mine. How come outsourcing works for some product not for others? How come offshoring works for some products and not others? Why can't the OP adapt what will ultimately works best for him without sacrificing quality?

Again, you have no experience in this industry, all you think about is a straight line approach, the complexity in offshoring/outsourcing is beyond your grasp.

 

[EastWind]

I am here to give advice, not opinions.

You have no experience in this field, please take your useless opinions and share it elsewhere. People here are wondering if they should setup their manufacturing operations in China vs USA.

Go online and look at Mindray, the biggest producer of medical diagnostic equipments inside of China. Any healthcare experts can tell you their product is top notch, and they outsell GE (life science unit) inside of China.

Your inability to distinguish from between the process and the whole is your problem, not mine. How come outsourcing works for some product not for others? How come offshoring works for some products and not others? Why can't the OP adapt what will ultimately works best for him without sacrificing quality?

Again, you have no experience in this industry, all you think about is a straight line approach, the complexity in offshoring/outsourcing is beyond your grasp.

Hmm, so I have no experience in deciding to buy products based on where it's made at? That's what the topic of the thread is about, on our opinions as CONSUMERS! Not as manufacturers! Get it?

So for someone so lacking in simple reading comprehension, you should take your so called advice and shove it! I gave my opinion as a CONSUMER! If it rubbed you the wrong way! tough! I'm not trying to sugar coat my words.

But now, I'm racist, and also incompetent. ... and somehow you know all about me and my abilities and inabilities. Amazing! Anywayz, this thread is getting out of hand thus I'm going to end my reply to this thread here irrespective of what else you have to say. Carry on mister know it all. I know nothing!

 

[mkzhang]

You can moan and bitch all you want as a consumer and guess what? Nothing changes.

Last time I check this is about what choices you make in manufacturing that will please the consumers.

Look through all your "consumer" POV opinionated posts, what value add do you have to this thread other than made in China sucks? Nothing.

 

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[Russ H]

Yeah, this guy should know better than to post something like that! I have bought 3 Dishwashers in the past 5 years because they were all made in china.

How much research did you do into the brands beforehand, Lexington?

You bought because they were made in China?

Or did you actually just by something CHEAP, and not even check where it was made until it broke?

Was making a cheap dishwasher China's fault?

Are you taking no responsibility whatsover for your choices/buying decisions?

Good dishwashers run $500 or more each. They used to cost more than $1500 each (adjusting for inflation). And that was for something w/a plastic or painted steel front-- not the fancy stainless steel that folks are paying $100-200 extra for (and getting a $300 dishwasher inside).

How much did you spend on each of these 3 dishwashers? Do you think if you'd spent, say, twice as much on ONE it might still be working?

Just questions. Happy to hear your answers on this, as I realize none of this is your fault-- I'm just interested in who/what is to blame.

-Russ H.

 

[Russ H]

So for someone so lacking in simple reading comprehension, you should take your so called advice and shove it! I gave my opinion as a CONSUMER! If it rubbed you the wrong way! tough! I'm not trying to sugar coat my words.

But now, I'm racist, and also incompetent. ... and somehow you know all about me and my abilities and inabilities. Amazing! Anywayz, this thread is getting out of hand thus I'm going to end my reply to this thread here irrespective of what else you have to say. Carry on mister know it all. I know nothing!

When the great man learns the Way, he follows it with diligence;
When the common man learns the Way, he follows it on occasion;
When the foolish man learns the Way, he laughs out loud;
Those who do not laugh, do not learn at all.

Therefore it is said:
Who understands the Way seems foolish;
Who progresses on the Way seems to fail;
Who follows the Way seems to wander.

EastWind,

The man who calls others "know it alls" often cannot see his own shortcomings in learning things.

-Russ H.

 

[Bobo]

The perception that Chinese goods are all shoddy is simply incorrect and some crappy cheap plumbing parts doesn't make a case. Before I pee all over that argument let me say that I am NOT a fan of China and their form of government. Frankly I don't like'm.

Look at Textiles for example. The Chinese have gotten serious about it and went out and got looms made in Korea that are quite good. THey went from being at 10% of Italian Quality to 80% in a decade. THey won't close the 20% gap in my opinion because they shouldn't try - you get into matters of artistry there that are not governed by the laws of economics but they have been bidding for the best raw materials out of New Zealand and elsewhere so look out.

I'm guessing they know how to make some good plumbing too, otherwise we'd notice those pesky reactor meltdowns. It isn't 'cheapest grade chinese is worse than best grade US' it's a matter of cheapest grade wost than best grade. Yeah, rain is wet too, shocker.

East German not as good as West German (that's changing since that whole hammer meets wall party)

FWIW, people used to say that the cheap Italian shit produced at lower cost than the good stuff from English mills would never catch up. Tell that to C Barbera or Loro Piana. The cheap alternative caught up and became the expensive one with cachet. You think great suits and you think Naples, I won't confuse the issue by pointing out that the best tailors are in the spanish quarter of Naples

It's cyclical. China is coming of age in a number of areas and to dismiss everything they make as crap is a dangerous mistake, same was said about the Japanese cars at one time wasn't it? Before that holyshitholyshitholyshit issue with gas pedals that one had reversed.

I've dealt with China, never bought textiles there but have their sample books and this is an area where if you tell me that I don't know my shit you'll be bringing roller skates to the Indy 500 and I will embarass you with hard facts very badly. I have a philosophical disagreement with the way their economy and government is structured but that's a different issue, the quality is there and it's on the upswing. When they decide to go after a market now they come to win.

Now - back to the original topic.

One reason why "Made in America" could become a huge differentiator is that at some point in the near future there could be a serious conflict between the US and our landlor... I mean China. The Taiwan issue, that nasty habit of shooting lasers at our satellites just for kicks... there are a lot of reasons to think that at some point there will be a significant rift in relations and if you look at California and Arizona peeing in each other's direction it doesn't require a huge stretch of imagination to see that a trade war with China is far from implausible.

Your cachet, as correctly pointed out, depends also on your market.

If you are making a handmade luxury garment then Italy has a cachet that afficianados will pay extra for. The extra production cost is understood by the consumer and they want that label.

If you are marketing to the Nascar demographic or could sell your product at Tea Parties then hell yes, Made in America will make a difference.

It's getting confusing though, most made in America products really are assembled here. Take a car - where parts are made in China, Mexico, Taiwan, Korea, etcetera....

So, whatchya makin? I think that is a key piece of info we are missing.

 

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[mkzhang]

Look at Textiles for example. The Chinese have gotten serious about it and went out and got looms made in Korea that are quite good. THey went from being at 10% of Italian Quality to 80% in a decade. THey won't close the 20% gap in my opinion because they shouldn't try - you get into matters of artistry there that are not governed by the laws of economics but they have been bidding for the best raw materials out of New Zealand and elsewhere so look out.

I was fortunately enough to be working with one of my client who is a textile manufacturer based in Shantou, China. When I was making the plant tour, all the machine are brand new Karl Mayer units straight from Germany.

It's amazing how far they've come, considering textile industry survival is defined by having low margins, good quality, and keeping up with the technology/new machines.

Obviously the business and management process is still a little immature in China and not as well controlled as the Americans and Japanese, but they are getting there.

On the topic of plumbing, another one of my client makes plumbing equipments in Shanghai (large scale heat exchangers). His list of customers includes GE, ExxonMobile, BP, BASF, Roche and Kodak. Let's not forget about the Chinese nuclear powerplants as well. I highly doubt the list above would weight cost savings over quality.

 

[Bobo]

On the topic of plumbing, another one of my client makes plumbing equipments in Shanghai (large scale heat exchangers). His list of customers includes GE, ExxonMobile, BP, BASF, Roche and Kodak. Let's not forget about the Chinese nuclear powerplants as well. I highly doubt the list above would weight cost savings over quality.

Oh shit, Eastwind is gonna nail you now for the BP reference ...alllll that oil spilling is due to a chinese plumbing fitting

Those German looms are impressive. I've seen some of the low micron, high twist woolens coming out of China the past few years and they aren't bad. They are not in league with the better European mills but they are closing.... weaving they have nailed, processing the raw materials and finishing not so much and if you go too fast on those mills..... Ok, never mind. Point is they are learning AND they are willing to fork over the $$$ to buy the best stuff and invest in learning how.

Ignoring that is silly. Made in Italy used to be a punchline, the Italians were brilliant at turning that into a selling point. I'm not so sure that the Chinese won't do that in several manufacturing sectors.

The subtleties, the processes that are more finesse than technology, the inefficient stuff that small artistic makers do... that takes a LOT longer but like I said - that isn't their market.

I know a lot of brands that quietly replaced their italian fabrics with Chinese. 'imported fabric' means Asia. when it's made in England or Italy they say so directly.

fftopic: Me digressed again

 

[PaulRobert]

Bobo, I would like to thank you very much for sharing this useful and priceless information from your experiences. I have certainly learned some new things today. I also like your straight to the point way of writing.

So, whatchya makin? I think that is a key piece of info we are missing.

As for my product, it is in the marketing/promotional field but that is all I am revealing for now. The potential company that I am aiming for to introduce my product to is a North American company that does a large portion of its business in the US. They have millions of customers and I certainly see how my product can be used to advertise their company. It also solves a problem that many people encounter on a daily basis. (It kills 2 birds with one stone, or shall I say it solves 2 problems with one product. ) As of now, I am having my product made here in the US, but I am open to all countries.

I owe you big time Rep for the posts that you have contributed to this thread. MkzHang included.

:thankyousign:

 

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[Bobo]

Lamboman - happy to help. Been working on running three different scenarios for staffing a project all day working from home for a change and it's a nice diversion to come over here for a bit while the other section of the batcave chews on my real work, lol.

If you want to run some ideas on marketing by me offline until you can talk about it here just PM me. Trust me - I am tooooo overloaded right now to steal anyone's ideas, lol.

 

[fredtech1]

THE CHINESE ARE CHEATERS! They purposely keep the value of the yen down making it more economical to produce there. It's not fair to other countries whose Cost of doing business is way higher than theirs.

I can't believe it's more economical to have a valve made in China and shipped all the way over here and still be less expensive than an american made valve. Have you considered all the wasted fuel that consumes? Just because it cost less is it really a smarter choice?

I live in the US and I tend to give more weight to products made here. Why? because The thought of somebody losing their job or a factory closing down as a result of me saving 10 bucks makes me crazy. I'd rather spend the extra 10 and keep the money within my borders.

I love this country and it's a shame to see how much influence a corporation can have on it by lobbying and campaign contributions. It makes me sick to my stomach.