Promoting the 'Made in U.S.A.' Label at SPESA 2010

Is domestic manufacturing making a comeback? The members of SEAMS, the national association for the sewn-products industry, seem to think so. They will sponsor a “Made in U.S.A. Supply Chain” pavilion at next spring’s SPESA EXPO 2010 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The show, for the first time, will run alongside the TechTextil North America show and the ATME-I/Megatex show, making it one of the biggest expos for the sewn-products industry in 10 years.

California Apparel News Technology Editor Robert McAllister interviewed SEAMS executive director Sarah Friedman about the event and domestic manufacturing in general. The Columbia, S.C.–based organization has a broad base of member/manufacturers that produce everything from hosiery to golf shirts. SEAMS is active in keeping those members abreast of legislative issues, trends and other relevant issues, but its main function is to help its members find work. Despite the big drop-off in domestic manufacturing over the past 10 years, SEAMS is closing in on its 42nd anniversary with a base of more than 150 members who believe “Made in U.S.A.” is still king.

What is SEAMS, and why should a company join the organization?Normally, companies that join SEAMS are looking for someone to help them produce a product or are companies trying to find work. We focus on helping companies find the products they need. Others join for the networking aspect because we are a huge networking organization. We have two conferences a year and bring in important speakers. We participate in numerous trade shows each year to promote U.S.-made products and our member companies. A lot of our members do government contract work, and we are able to help in those areas, too.Why is SEAMS sponsoring a Made in U.S.A. supply-chain pavilion at the SPESA Show?The biggest reason is to help our members find work and keep jobs in the United States. When we exhibit at trade shows, the typical reaction we get is “Gosh, I didn’t know you can still get this in the U.S.A.” Indeed, a lot of people are not aware of the depth of our supply chain here. Yes, you can find the fabric you need as well as other components. If you can’t, we can help you find it. We want to let people know there is an alternative to long lead times and complex financial transactions. Because of trade issues in Asia as well as the economic downturn, it seems like there’s a renewed interest in U.S manufacturing. Is that the case?Yes, most of it started last year. We’ve been seeing more companies bringing either part or all of their production back here. We’re working right now with a couple of major companies that are doing this. One of the big issues right now is replenishment. Retailers are buying smaller quantities and saying to themselves, “I don’t need to get this many items in May.” It doesn’t matter if it sells well if it takes two to three months to get it [from offshore]. The U.S producers are providing the quick replenishments they need.What are some other advantages of manufacturing in the United States? No. 1, you’re keeping American people working. The textile/apparel industries have lost more than 700,000 jobs over the past 10 years. That has weakened some of the mills, but the quality of the labor force is still strong. They’re survivors and focused on reviving the industry. Some companies are finding that when you’ve finished adding up the expenses of importing and offshore manufacturing to your bottom lines, there’s not much of a difference between offshore and “Made in the U.S.A.” Has the migration to offshore manufacturing diluted the work force and quality level of American products?There is a new younger generation of workers in the industry today. The labor force is available. As for quality, I hear on a weekly basis how buyers are looking for better quality. We have that here. And not all companies have been affected negatively. Many are doing well. Yes, we’ve lost lots of jobs, but there are still a lot of companies out there.What can we expect to see at the Made in U.S.A. Supply Chain pavilion at SPESA?We will have about 20 booths and have already received verbal commitments on about half of them. It will be one of the biggest apparel shows in a decade. We will be doing lots of marketing to promote it. We will be seeing companies from all over. You’d be surprised at the number of companies from outside the U.S. that want U.S.-made products. I’m excited about this opportunity, as are our members.