We may be a little biased on this subject; after all, we compete with many companies who manufacture their goods outside of the US. However, it’s not because we have to. Kleer-Fax has had offers to move production to Mexico with the enticement that skilled labor will cost much less, increasing our bottom line.
However, we are not going anywhere. We believe in supporting our employees, as well as our community, and that is among the many reasons why you should buy goods made in the USA.
US-Made Goods Support Local Economies
When you buy a set of our legal index tabs, not only will you save money compared to what our overseas competitors charge, you’re directly supporting more than 100 American families. The money spent pays our employees. Those families buy groceries, school supplies, and other things they need.
Part of our revenue buys raw materials, such as paper, Tyvek, and Mylar. Our suppliers come from around the country, including the sales rep who gets us our corrugated boxes – also Made in America.
If we go out of business, many other businesses will lose revenue from us and our employees. Directly speaking, your purchases may be putting 100+ families into a restaurant for dinner each week, and the revenue at those restaurants goes to the employees who work there, making you a big part of what drives the economy.
US Companies Have Ethical Labor Practices
There’s an interesting holiday documentary called “What Would Jesus Buy?” Among the topics it covers is the importance of knowing where your goods are made, and what kind of conditions the people are working under.
Last year, for instance, Bloomberg reported on a one-year undercover investigation which found that Mattel’s (maker of Hot Wheels and Barbie) Chinese factory made a practice of crowding their employees during 13-hour shifts, and then assigning them 12 to a dormitory room. While factory employees in China pay rent to sleep in a dorm room, they were also being underpaid by a reported $11,000,000 as the company’s net income rose by more than $67,600,000!
In Dhaka Savar, Bangladesh, there was a terrible incident where a factory collapsed and injured more than 2,500 workers and killed over 1,100 employees who made clothing, and it was reported that some were fired for refusing to enter the building that morning.
Imagine having to work in conditions that will cost you your life in exchange for a standard of living that is so low. And imagine that you are supporting such a system when you buy goods made in that country.
American Manufacturers are the Best Choice
While overseas manufacturing has child labor, we have had child labor laws since the Presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. As foreign-made goods are produced in unsafe conditions, US companies have to abide by OSHA standards. And while many employees of foreign factories are not paid enough to support themselves with dignity, our employees are paid at least at the [growing] minimum wage as they accumulate sick and vacation time, and have money taken out for Social Security and other benefits that serve us well as a nation.
At Kleer-Fax, we believe that American manufacturing is important. We understand there are some sophisticated measures we’ve passed up over the years to cut costs in this global economy, but our understanding is that some cost-cutting simply costs too much, and net income is not the true bottom line.
by 