There are certain products and brand names that radiate the word ‘Americana’. When you look at or see these products, the first thing that comes to mind is the good old United States of America. To think that any of these companies engage in overseas manufacturing, or even have components produced anywhere but in the USA, can be surprising. Yet there are many advantages to companies having their products built in China, and countless companies are doing just that.
Perhaps the biggest benefit to companies manufacturing their products in China, comes in the form of reduced costs. In some cases, labor costs are ten times more for a company to have the exact same product built in the USA. Not many companies can afford to be so patriotic. Other benefits include reliability, satisfaction, and believe it or not, quality. Products manufactured in China are just as good as the same products that are built elsewhere. China is working extremely hard to eradicate this image of poor quality. North American companies have labelled them with that negative concept, in an effort to get people to buy American made products, which are always more expensive. Countless American companies manufacture at least some product parts in China, and you may be surprised which ones are doing it.
Some of the USA’s most iconic products are now made in China. Mattel has been manufacturing its Barbie dolls and other traditional toys in China for several years. Converse All Stars was purchased by Nike in 2003, which has been making their all-American running shoes and sneakers there ever since. Radio Flyer Red Wagons have been in American children’s lives for generations. They have also been built in China since 2004. It was too expensive for their Chicago manufacturing plant to continue producing them, due to high maintenance costs. Even Levi’s jeans are not produced in the United States anymore. They are the quintessential American article of clothing and culture. All their lines of jeans are produced overseas except for one brand still made in North Carolina. The Etch-A-Sketch, all today’s televisions, Huffy Bikes, and even the United States Olympic athletes’ uniforms were produced in China. People waving the American flag, are also probably totally unaware that over $3 million worth of them were produced and imported into the USA in 2010 from China.
Numerous companies also produce components for their products in China. Instead of getting the entire product built overseas, they have certain components built there and shipped back, to be assembled at a later date. The product will still say ‘Made In The USA’, but it was assembled from parts which were produced overseas. Even the board game Monopoly has its red hotels and green houses produced elsewhere, and sent back to the United States to be packaged and sold. Apple computers has iPad components built in China as well.
If overseas manufacturing is good enough for these iconic American companies, it should be an easy decision for any business. Having products, or even just product parts, being made in China is becoming more popular, and more profitable. Contact ITI today and learn about your options of partially or completely manufacturing overseas.
