My Blog

If you are, you may have found it difficult to find products to buy. Here at our store we've been grateful for our increased traffic. Many people have come in to thank us for carrying US made products that they can see and touch. Yes, the internet is a great way to locate US made products but not always the best way to sell them. Shoppers still like to see what they're getting/giving. If you have lots of time you can find items made in America in most major department stores.

During this holiday season we have found that many small companies, 1-5 people, have wonderful items for sale but don't feel they can produce enough product to support wide spread internet sales. This is where shop local, shop Mom and Pop stores, comes in. It's in these small, local outlets you'll find unique items, caringly produced, usually locally. You can find the small stores on line before you visit them to save time.

In our own store we have fleece socks, todler bibs, hand-blown glass ornaments, stained glass and hand made glass dishes among other items that you can't see on line because there's only one or 2 of a kind. We're thinking of adding a "Store Only" catalog to our website for these types of items but the time to update the site with pictures as these items come and go is difficult to come by.

To all of you who have made the effort to Buy American during this holiday season, I thank you and the US manufacturers, from 1 to 1000+ employees, thank you. You are helping us stay in business in the US and you are helping to bring our US economy back one purchase at a time and that's the best Christmas gift you can give.

 

The answer is yes, but.... I'm going to paraphrase an article I read in the past few months from The Worcester Business Journal to explain the "but".

Know that the U.S. is still the top, most productive manufacturer in the world.

One local small machine shop needed to expand production to meet growth requirements of incoming orders. They evaluated moving against adding a second shift. The second shift would have included a minimum of 2 but more likely 3 jobs with annual base payroll of $150,000. At least 1 machinist, 1 quality inspector  and 1 packer would be needed. With all the uncertainty coming from the Federal government about taxes and health care plus the rising cost of mandated health care in MA as well as state taxes, fees and regulations, they were hesitant.  The overhead (what the company has to pay on top of the payroll) was estimated between $75,000 and $150,000 above the expected payroll, possibly more. The cost projections were too uncertain and too high to hire anyone. They were in a dilemma until they looked at automatic equipment. They discovered that they could buy machines to automatically make parts, and inspect them for $300,000. Now, with the new equipment, they can complete their normal work day, set the machines to run, lock the doors and come back to bulk packed finished product with complete computerized inspection records - no sick days, no no-shows, no vacations, no retirement or bonuses and cost effective machine maintenance.

So our local manufacturer has expanded the productivity of his existing employees by adding machines to increase their manufacturing capability. As I recall from the article, the machines he purchased were made in the U.S. - also a plus. While the decision of this small company was appropriate, it reflects how hard it is to increase our manufacturing labor force. While the first thought of this company was to hire new people, there are 3 people in this area who did not get those jobs.

This is why a stable government, with stable laws and regulations is so necessary. Historically, the stability in the U.S. has been the reason it's been a good place to invest. Today, the rules are changing, it seems monthly if not daily - EPA, HHS, DOE, OSHA and the equivalent local agencies seem to embed new regulations so often a small, or even medium, company can be overwhelmed. If a company is going to grow, especially a small one, they have to know what their expected operating costs will be. If they can determine that, they can create jobs, if not, they automate or try to hold their own until the negatives turn positive or they close and the jobs go across the border - sometimes to an other state, other times to another country.

Here's an interesting video on the impact of licensing: http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=113&load=5354

IF you keep your eyes and ears open and are willing to apply yourself and learn, no matter how large or how small the company, manufacturing touches just about every profession. This is especially important exposure for people who don't go to college, those who don't complete college or those who complete Liberal Arts and haven't a clue what to do. Manufacturing is even a training ground for High School dropouts who need to be paid as they learn (and perform).

A small to medium manufacturer is a great training ground whether you start in a clerical or shop floor position.

From the office you can learn bookkeeping, basic accounting, payroll, sales, customer service, contracting (legal exposure), buying, licensing, marketing, reception work, quality documentation, what constitutes professional entertainment AND how your government supports or attacks the business with regulations and taxes.

From the shop floor, as part of a team, you can learn how to produce a product, how to operate specialized equipment, how to track documents required to support manufacturing, how to safely handle chemicals, identify age-controlled materials, shipping and receiving, OSHA regulations, quality inspection and auditing, equipment calibration, inventory reporting, unit of measure, time/product scheduling, how to innovate to save production costs. You also learn alot of regulations - some that protect your health and some that seem pretty silly.

From both clerical and shop floor positions you can learn about shop scheduling, product budgets, first aid including CPR, basic Engineering and math that can be applied by the lay person. You'll also learn to recognize strengths and weaknesses, yours and those of others, including the degreed employees.

From any position, over time, you'll see how each of the activities briefly mentioned above interlink and how performance and the success of the business is dependent on the teamwork of all employees, especially those that support the order moving efficiently through the company to customer delivery.

In a manufacturing firm you can find work that you prefer and can develop skills that will support you in a career or in your next job. You'll also learn to identify what you really don't like so you can avoid that (or delegate it) as you take control of your future.

Other than being nice, is there a reason to shop for them? The answer is a very big YES.

Did you know that when you buy imports made of imported raw materials that ultimately about 85% of the $$ spent (except for sales tax) end up in that foreign country with workers in that country employed?

When you buy a product made in the USA with mostly (50%+) US material content about 85% of the $$ you spend stay in the USA and have the benefit of keeping Americans employed.

So when you consciously spend an extra $20/month on a USA made item, you not only get a quality product, but you contribute to increasing employment opportunities, perhaps as many as 3,000,000 in just one year. Imagine what you can do if you consciously spend an extra $100! Buy here http://www.mksworks.com/catalog, at our American Products Store in Cherry Valley, MA or where you prefer.

When you enter a store, ask them where their USA made products are. If they can't show you, take a minute and speak to the manager. Ask the manager to tag the shelves so you can see the American products right away the next time you come in. Even Wal-Mart still carries lots of US made items, they're just very difficult to find.