Category: Industry News

With increased insecurity in the global supply chain, the case for buying American-made products is stronger now than ever. Companies and consumers alike are seeing the rising costs of overseas products, while concerns about long-term sustainability and supply chain security remain central. These issues contribute to a growing list of reasons to shop domestic, including supporting local economies, job creation, and better quality parts.

Here’s a list of the top six reasons we believe you should purchase American-made:

It’ll save you money.

The big driver to buy goods overseas used to be that they were cheaper. Labor and materials are often cheaper (but cheaper doesn’t always mean better – see #3 below). While labor and materials may still be cheaper overseas, those costs are offset by the rising costs of fuel. Not to mention extra fees for duty and tariffs. In addition, you can rest easy knowing that your purchase is contributing to the long-term stability of the American economy and U.S. workers.

You’ll get your product more quickly.

Lead times are on the rise everywhere. Even domestically, we are seeing fastener lead times of up to about 20 weeks (our current average is 8-10 weeks). However, this is nothing compared to the 6 – 8 month lead times we are seeing on imported goods. And that does not include time to ship, which is usually another 6 to 8 weeks by boat.

You’ll get better products.

The quality standards in the U.S. are higher than many other places. At Fastco, we follow the International Automotive Task Force (or IATF) quality standards, a global quality standard in the automotive industry that is even more rigorous than the ISO quality management system. We use U.S.-made steel, which has a reputation for being strong and high-quality due to the strict steel standards overseen by the EPA and OSHA.

It’s about the people.

And it’s not just about job creation. The United States has many labor laws and agencies working to protect our workers’ rights and safety. Low wages and undeveloped safety standards are one of the reasons that parts can be produced at such low costs in other parts of world.

It’s about the planet.

Global climate change presents an ever-growing threat to life as we know it. Purchasing parts from overseas can lead to higher use of gas, oil, coal, and other pollutants, particularly when airfreighting shipments. The closer to home the products you purchase are made, the less fossil fuels you’ll use to transport them. This has a direct positive impact on our planet.

You can feel good about your purchase.

It feels good to do good. Supporting local economies feels good. You’re helping build America’s future. Pat yourself on the back, give yourself a high five, and keep up the good work.

If you’ve plugged the phrase “fastener manufacturer” into Google, you probably already have an idea of why it’s better to buy direct than to purchase through a distributor. To validate your hunch, here is a list of the top three reasons to buy direct from a manufacturer:

Buying direct saves money.

This first one is obvious. If you take away the intermediary, you are removing their cut of the profits. If a distributor typically adds 20% onto the cost of goods, then your business sees a 20% cost reduction.

You’ll have more control of your product with better quality outcomes.

This one might not be as obvious, but if you deal directly with the manufacturer, then you have a much clearer idea of the quality of what you are buying. With fewer parties, process oversight is better managed and maintained, improving quality outcomes.

At Fastco, we encourage new and potential customers to come onsite to tour our facility and observe the manufacturing process. If a problem arises or a design change needs to be made, we are available and eager to work through that issue. There are no third parties or bureaucratic layers to work through.

Working directly with the manufacturer results in improved communication and service.

We touched on this briefly above in terms of engineering and quality communication and service. But working directly with a manufacturer results in improved service and communication at all levels.

When you ask a question, someone at our company has the answer; you don’t have to filter your questions through mediators. This results are that we can answer your questions more quickly and more accurately.

As we’ve seen over the last couple years, the costs of goods are on the rise, from raw materials to fuel. Lead times have also increased, disrupting supply chains. Buying direct is one way to help reduce your costs and control your product in an increasing expensive and unpredictable global economy.