Nebraska is certainly a hotbed for manufacturing, thanks to a talented and diverse workforce. This growing field includes manufacturers that have always been here, like locally owned family businesses or corporation plants that drive their primary manufacturing efforts from the Nebraska area.

This boom isn’t specific to Nebraska, however. Products manufactured in the U.S.A are in higher demand than ever, due to the stigmas associated with sweatshop manufacturing and poor labor conditions that are often present in other parts of the world.

Take Italian company Bonfiglioli, for example. The brand, which makes products for power transmission and control, recently chose the greater Cincinnati/Kentucky area as the place they’d like to open their first 80,000 square foot plant in the United States.

Whereas the plant was previously a distribution warehouse for equipment made in Italy, the expanded facility will include a new production line of planetary gearboxes made for mobile machinery, which are used in construction, mining, agricultural, and forestry industries. “When Bonfiglioli first established operations in the USA, we chose the Northern Kentucky region because it had a lot to offer in terms of proximity to the airport and our clients, a solid economic strategy for growth and a talented and diverse workforce,” Greg Schulte, president of Bonfiglioli North America said in a .

According to a recent article by CNBC, although some of the momentum behind U.S manufacturing has cooled in recent months, the “Made in the USA” label is still desirable in global markets, as well as at home in our country. Why is this? Well, it brings a certain assurance that products are made according to high production standards and using safe materials. So, why don’t all manufacturers keep their factories right here at home? Well, it’s not that simple. Labor costs are higher and finding a domestic manufacturer can be time consuming, especially since most brands who have found one don’t like to share manufacturing information so as not to provide help to competition in the dog-eat-dog world of small business.

For companies making the move to “reshore,” or bring manufacturing back to the United States, proximity to their customers and quality of product outweigh the benefits of cheap labor. In the USA, there’s a better level of access to skilled labor, lower transportation costs, and supply-chain efficiencies. When executives take a look and add up these costs of production, the U.S. retains a growing advantage, predicting that more and more companies will shift their .

For potential workers, this trend is certainly one we’d like to continue. It means more commerce, and more jobs for local manufacturers, welders, engineers, and more. You can support the “reshoring” movement by making a conscious choice to purchase products made in the USA, even if they are a little bit more expensive than your Chinese-made product. It may feel like a small thing, but it’s a huge contribution to adding jobs back into America, and certainly worth your time and money.

Questions? Comments? Leave one in the section below, or send us a anytime!

—
photo credit: via