PPB June 2021

concentrated onshore are more vulnerable to other kinds of disruptions such as natural disasters or home-grown crises that shut down entire industries. Armstrong insists that the best insurance against inevitable disaster in one part of the world is a connection to supplies frommanufacturers all around the world. “The key is to manage supply chain risk, not to avoid it,” says Armstrong. According to a survey by the Reshoring Institute, nearly 70 percent of the respondents indicated that they prefer American-made products. More than 83 percent responded that they would pay up to 20 percent more for products made domestically. As consumers become more aware of product origins, U.S. companies are demonstrating their commitment to American manufacturing. In March, Walmart, whose pricing policies forced suppliers to send jobs overseas, announced that it will spend $350 billion on items made, grown or assembled in the U.S. over the next 10 years, adding to a 2013 commitment of $250 billion. While an effective marketing technique, U.S.A.-made products benefit businesses in other ways. Mike Burns, president of Akron, Ohio, supplier Quikey Manufacturing Co., says, “While it is a higher cost of labor to build our products in the U.S.A., we have felt that we have had more direct control over the quality of our products and service levels by handling all of our production here in the U.S.A. In addition, we have not been affected as much by supply chain issues. Finally, we feel that it has been a win- win for us and for our local community to be able to contribute many good jobs to individuals and families here consistently over many decades.” While the U.S. works toward a highly efficient and productive manufacturing system, American-made products will remain stand out, favored items. With a “Made in the U.S.A.” label, clients can be sure of the manufacturers’ values, quality and reliability. As the U.S. finds the delicate balance between onshoring and offshoring, the promo industry can lead the charge for American- made products. | JUNE 2021 | 29 GROW