As managing editor of We've heard a number of anecdotal stories about manufacturers bringing work back to the United States from China, but it's rare to get a story with actual details. I found this one today in The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and it's worth reading.
The story is about how Kewaskum, Wis.-based Regal Ware Inc. has brought nearly all of its production back to America, and now it will begin to ship some U.S.-made products to stores in China and Taiwan. The story stresses that the volume of work returning to American is not huge -- "The initial move to offshore sourcing involved private-label products marketed by another company that had not previously been made in Wisconsin," the story says. "The volume of product made in China has been a small part of the company’s total sales. "
There's no plastics angle here, but one reason I'm sharing this story is because I expect that some readers won't notice that (or care). They'll forward the news anyway. It's a victory for American manufacturing, and every little victory is meaningful. At some point, someone will likely cite it as an example of plastics processing work coming back to the USA. (Especially since Newell Rubbermaid Inc. is mentioned near the bottom of the story. But note that Newell Rubbermaid is not the company bringing work back to America. It's Regal Ware.)
So let's be clear: this is not a case of plastics work coming back to the United States, and it's not a sign that Newell Rubbermaid has seen the error of its ways and is going to stop outsourcing.
We remain interested in any true stories about plastics work coming back to the USA. If you know any, I encourage you to share them in the comments box.