Although for much of the 20th century the US dominated global manufacturing, recent years have not been as kind. We have seen the last US silverware company close its doors, as did the last coat-hanger maker, sardine cannery and shirt maker. But MSM Money (Oct.10, 2011) just found 10 pockets of manufacturing that are still hanging tough. It’s an interesting list to share in class when covering Chapters 1 and 2. The question is whether we should celebrate these limited successes–or are they dinosaurs that are still walking?
1. Bowling balls: Down from 12,000 bowling alleys in 1960, today 5,800 still operate as the sport has remained a family
pastime. Ebonite, in Hopkinsville, KY, makes 4 popular brands of bowling balls and is one of several small firms still manufacturing in the US.
2. Sparklers: Diamond Sparkler, of Youngstown, is one of the few producers of fireworks to survive the onslaught of cheaper Chinese imports.
3. Compact discs: Although CD sales are falling, Sony just spent $72 million to expand its Terre Haute, Ind., plant where 1,300 employees plan to churn out disks for us old-timers for another decade.
4. Pianos: 98% of concert pianists still demand a grand piano from Steinway, consisting of 12,000 parts assembled by 450 workers in NYC.
5. Socks: Formerly known as the “Sock Capitol of the World”, Fort Payne, Ala., still has 20 mills and 600 employees–but certainly off from its peak of 120 mills and 8,000 workers.
6. Ironing boards: Indiana’s HPI-Seymour pumps out 720 boards/hour with 200 employees, thanks to steep tariffs to protect it from Asian competitors.
7. Pencils: General Pencil, of Jersey City, NJ, has ceded the yellow #2 pencil to China, but produces special graphic and colored drawing pencils.
8. Sneakers: With 1,000 workers in 5 New England plants, New Balance is the last standing athletic footware maker.
9. Electric relays: Struthers-Dunn, in SC, is also the final surviving maker of customized relays and controls. The rest have gone to India and other Asian nations.
10. Chopsticks: Georgia Chopsticks, as we blogged recently, is actually ramping up production, making millions per day for export to China.
Discussion questions:
1. What will OM managers have to do to help these businesses continue to operate in the US?
2. Why are many of these businesses surviving ? How many will be here in a decade?