Over the years and through countless interviews, Promotional Marketing’s staff has heard suppliers and distributors voice their opinions on an array of hot topics that directly or indirectly affect the advertising specialty industry. Sometimes voices are heated, sometimes they are calm; but they always make a valid point. Therefore, starting with its June issue, Promotional Marketing’s new section, Comparison Corner, will provide industry professionals space to wax their views on key issues. First up: domestic-made versus outsourcing. In addition, Comparison Corner will sometimes be used to compare and contrast high-end versus low-end promotional products, as well as promotional products versus their retail counterparts. If you have a hot topic you would like debated in Comparison Corner, please e-mail Jennifer Hans at [email protected].
Made in America?
The topic of domestic-made products versus outsourcing can be a major point of contention in the world of promotional products. Below, two suppliers discuss the pros of each because, as we all know, there are two sides to every story.
Proud to be Made in America
Mel Ellis, president of The Humphrey Line, Milwaukie, Ore.,
www.humphreyline.com:
At The Humphrey Line, we have been able to avoid importing almost entirely. In our plastics category and in our personal care product line, the manufacturing processes are highly automated, so there is no need to go offshore. It is not that we have an aversion to cheap labor, a subsidized currency, no child labor restrictions, no overtime rules, no OSHA, no EPA, no FDA, no retirement and such. It is simply that we don’t want to entrust our quality to someone else—our people handle our products at every stage, so we have excellent control of our product quality—or to have the service we provide our distributor customers depend on sourcing product from halfway around the world.
By being the original manufacturer, we know what our quality is on everything we sell. And, because we control our manufacturing schedule, we have managed not to miss a ship date from our Kentucky plant for more than two years.
Outsourcing is the Only Way
Robert Knobel, president of RMK Worldwide, Deerfield Beach, Fla.,
www.rmksales.com:
Throughout the year, RMK Worldwide receives hundreds of requests for products outsourced from the Far East. Reasons include distributors who are seeking to have a custom product produced with better pricing, quality and on-time deliveries. With RMK Worldwide having a presence in Hong Kong and mainland China, we have more control than someone trying to import through a trading firm. We receive correspondences on a daily basis to meet time-sensitive deadlines. Many suppliers/importers offer what is known as market goods—products they import and stock in the United States. They may only import it one way, in only one color and in one style of packaging. By having firms such as RMK outsource, we can produce the item in the color requested and have custom packaging produced overseas. This gives the product an extremely high perceived value.
On another note, we have customers who want to give their clients the ability to have something 100 percent custom produced. In this case, we have the capabilities of tooling and fabricating the item from scratch. The point is not to settle on an existing product or package, but have it produced your way, in the packaging you choose.
