It has to be a buyer’s worst nightmare: You placed your order in for new wood-furniture components weeks ago. During the recession you were sensible enough to keep your inventory low to free up cash flow, but now you’re either out of stock or running low on many product lines. Finally the shipment arrives—but disaster—there was a glitch, a breakdown in communication...the order is all wrong. The shipment needs to be returned and a new one sent....from China.
Thankfully, you don’t need to import from Asia any longer, as it’s all good news for American suppliers right now.
Slowly but surely the economy is emerging from recession, but even more exciting is the news that the competitive gap between North America and Asia is currently closer than it has been in a long time. Higher energy costs, fuel costs (for shipping) and striking workers demanding better pay and working conditions (welcome to the free-market economy) have all eroded the profit margins of Asian suppliers and forced them to increase their prices. But it’s not only cost that makes choosing a North American supplier the best option today...there are other advantages, too.
Communication
You know from meetings in your own office how quickly things can get confusing—especially if you’re dealing with complex issues. Dealing with a supplier that speaks and understands your language makes doing business together that much easier.
Turnaround
Dealing with Asian suppliers means building in long lead times. Shipping takes weeks, not days. And if there’s a problem with a shipment, well it’s obvious that delays to your customers will be extended ones.
Customization
For custom projects it just makes sense to deal with a supplier that’s closer to home. It goes without saying that a custom project will require lots of communication between supplier and client, especially if this is a new project.
Since 1963, Newport Furniture Parts have been manufacturing and designing wood components for companies in the furniture industry. As a contract furniture supplier at the leading edge of today’s technology, Newport Furniture Parts is a one-stop design and production facility. Eliminate multiple vendors and production cost loss by keeping every aspect under one roof.
http://woodcomponents.org/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-01/u-s-manufacturing-index-shows-expansion-is-continuing-defying-forecasts.html
