Manufacturers Explain What It Means to Make Products in the Homeland
October may be a time when people think about fall, pumpkins, Halloween and candy. But we here at the Music & Sound Retailer choose to think about drums, and this feature, which shines a bright light on those who continue to manufacture products in the United States. Clearly, keeping manufacturing at home — as well as jobs that go with it — was a key component of last year’s presidential election. But when it comes to MI manufacturers, how important are the four words “Made in the USA”? We asked them, as we have done for the past several years. Below is the exact question we asked manufacturers to answers, followed by what they said, presented in the order in which we received the answers.
Q: How important is the phrase “Made in the USA” compared to a few years ago? How proud are you to say your products are made in the USA, and do you believe the end user seeks these products as much as in the past?
“This is very, very important to me, our family and our company. We effectively manufacture 95 percent of our 7,000 SKU line in the USA. It is something we are very, very proud of. A little over 1,000 D’Addario employees make our music strings, drumheads, drumsticks, reeds and mouthpieces in our U.S. facilities. We have a total of eight factories located in New York, California, Tennessee, Texas and Connecticut. D’Addario is also a very vertically integrated company, so our manufacturing includes not just the finished products that our dealers know us for, but the raw materials used to make those products. In New York, we manufacture high-carbon steel wire and phosphor bronze wire, as well as print 90 percent of our packaging materials. In Connecticut, we manufacture coated wires for our EXP string line. In Tennessee, our saw mill cuts massive hickory and maple logs into dowels for Promark drumsticks. In New York and California, our engineers and technicians design and build our manufacturing equipment for all our divisions.
“It is very rewarding to know that in some small way, we are doing our part towards sustaining employment in America, while having a positive impact on our national trade deficit.”
— Jim D’Addario, CEO, D’Addario & Co. Inc.
“For Manhasset, the phrase ‘Made in the USA’ is extremely important to the purchasers of the company’s products. Band directors and conductors, professional musicians, and students all know that Manhasset Stands represent the best quality and durability in the music stand business. They understand that by manufacturing these stands in the United States, Manhasset will be able to maintain its consistent high level of dependability to aid performers of all styles and experience levels. That reputation is not only important in the U.S., but throughout the world, as the increased demand by its international distributors for Manhasset Stands demonstrates. And the fact that Manhasset Stands offers a lifetime warranty on its music stands demonstrates the commitment to quality and long-lasting performance, going well beyond the warranty period offered by competitors’ products.
“Consumers also recognize the great value that Manhasset Stands represent. The company has been investing a significant amount of capital in each of the last five years to upgrade its plant and equipment so that Manhasset can reach even greater levels of part quality and increase throughput in the plant, with outstanding results. These outlays of capital into robotics-aided manufacturing and packing processes have helped the company stay lean in its plant operations. And an investment in a new pre-wash process (prior to powder coating) has helped the company become an even better steward for the environment, as Manhasset is now 100-percent ‘green’ in its plant operations.
“As an employee-owned company, there is great pride that Manhasset Stands are made in this country and are in high demand worldwide. Every employee recognizes the need to keep improving the company’s performance every day to keep Manhasset Stands ahead of the competition.”
— Dan Roberts, president and general manager, Manhasset Specialty Co.