It can be Made in the USA.

I'm increasingly asked if there's a way to make such-and-such a product in the USA. More clients are looking for that as a positive marketing factor in rolling out a new invention or product. They believe that there's a trend toward US consumers being willing to pay a bit more for a product if a higher quality alternative is available, and, increasingly, "Made in the USA" is perceived as safer and higher quality, whether that is the case or not.

The good news is that US manufacturing is not dead. There are still technologies that are better performed and more cost-effective in the States than anywhere else. There are also older industries that have been nearly outsourced to death that are figuring out that niche products, targeting lower-volume higher-quality design markets, are viable business.

Chemetal is a great example of what used to be a commodity product turned into something innovative and valuable. There are many more examples out there, and I'm pointing clients toward using those materials and processes whenever possible.