Although it seems the world has gone crazy due to COVID-19, it won’t stay this way forever.
Anecdotally, I’m hearing friends and acquaintances express their new-found awareness of where stuff is manufactured, with people on social media stating they want to buy more “Made in USA” products.
Also on social media, manufacturers are promoting their made-in-USA capabilities and products in order to help offset the supply chain disruptions due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrew A. Michta, the dean of the College of International and Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, believes we’re at the beginning of a transformative recompilation of past notions considering trade. Michta writes:
Few corporations will want to again risk being caught in a situation where their entire supply chain has been locked into one country . . . . The subsequent era will, I hope, be one of strategic reconsolidation, with a special focus on onshoring critical supply chains that have been moved to China. Even the siren song of potentially-vast consumer markets in China may end up being more than offset by the trauma we are about to face. (Source)
While it doesn’t seem like it now, with entire industries shutting down, once the restrictions are lifted, the U.S. is going to see a huge manufacturing boom as companies begin rethinking and rebuilding their supply chains. Companies will still rely on China and other countries, of course, but they’ll need and want redundancy in the United States.
We know it’s tough at the moment, but now is the time to review and improve your marketing plan to prepare for the coming boom. Already, buyers are looking for U.S. manufacturers to solve short-term supply chain disruptions — as well as for the longer-term on-shoring expansion to come.
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Although we’re a small team, we’re incredibly hardworking and tough. We don’t give up, ever. We’ve spent the last six years honing our processes. We’ve trialed and tested our marketing tactics for manufacturers and are proud of the results we’ve achieved on behalf of our clients.
It’s why emails, such as this one, are a continual joy: “Thank you very much for all of your help with our business. I couldn’t do my job without you . . . I mean that.”
I’ve been in manufacturing my entire life, and yes, I’m bullish on America and manufacturing. My team and I love being part of the wonderful transformation manufacturing has undergone in the last few years.
We’re even more excited to see our customers growing their businesses — whether launching new products or hiring new employees. If you want to be part of this transformation, contact us.
A note about the products shown in the collage at the top: I buy Made in USA as much as possible. The labels you see for all but two of the products are for things I’ve personally purchased. You can find the full collage in the July 9, 2019 issue of Manufacturing Marketing. The full collage is a small representation of the Made in USA items I’ve purchased over the last six years. Lots of people like me exist. We want more Made in USA! I hope you do, too.
