Wolf

Can products made in the USA compete in the global economy?

Tom Wolf published this article on April 4, 2011 in Build your Business. No comments. | Comment

I was intrigued by a good letter to the editor that appeared in a recent issue of Home Channel News. The letter suggested that we need to reaffirm our support for American manufacturers in the building industry. The author of the letter is a Pennsylvania building materials dealer and his point was that in supporting American manufacturers, we would all benefit from the increase in American jobs such support would induce. The idea was that regardless of the price differential, we should do the right thing to help restore American economic vitality.

I agree with the idea that we should do our part to support American manufacturers and I agree with the assertion that this support would undoubtedly strengthen our economy and our businesses. I even used to agree with the author’s idea that this support would probably also involve paying higher prices for these products.

In fact, this need not be the case. It turns out that American manufacturers are showing signs of a new competitiveness even in sectors that we thought had long ago conceded defeat to overseas companies and workers. This became clear to me when Wolf began its search for a suitable source of good quality kitchen cabinets that could compete with low cost imported cabinets. Like many others, I assumed that we would probably have to look overseas to find this suitable source.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong. Wolf spent a great deal of time and effort working with customers to create a detailed set of designs, specifications, and prices for the new Wolf cabinet line. They told us what the market wanted and how much it was willing to pay. We sent these specs out to a wide list of manufacturers all over the world and ended up sourcing the products with an American firm. This American firm provided us with the best quality cabinets at the best prices made with over 80% American components by American workers.

We have found the same thing in our new PVC building products lines. Our PVC trim, molding and decking are all made in the United States by American workers. And like the Wolf Classic Cabinet line, they are high quality goods with very competitive prices. I am proud to put my name on this line of products in part because they have the quality and the pricing that should make them easy for independent dealers to sell. But I am proudest of the fact that all of them are made in the United States by American workers. It means that in this global economy with increasingly intense overseas competition – and with a trade disadvantaged Dollar – our manufacturers and workers can still make products that stand up beautifully to anything the rest of the world can make.

I believe this is the beginning of a great new trend. Wolf’s experience is that buying American does not force anyone to compromise on either quality or price.