“You’re having it made, here in this country?” “You mean you don’t have to out-source to China?” We had many such comments. People often concluded with, “That’s great. That’s the way it should be.” But when I began to design the Oven Claw™ that wasn’t what I was being told. At one woodturning shop where I had a prototype of the Oven Claw™ made, the woodturner said, “Bill, do you want the bad news?” Always eager for information, even negative, I replied, “Sure.” He went on to say that I’d never make any money from the Oven Claw™ because of the cost of wood, the cost of hiring a woodturner, shipping, and other costs. He added, “Take those numbers and you would have to wholesale it for a minimum of $25.00 and no one can afford that. Retailers generally mark-up by 50%. That would mean they would have to put them on the shelf for $50.00. It just won’t fly. You’ll never make a profit. I’d find another project.

So, with that information, I slacked off on developing the Oven Claw™ further, thinking about what I could do, how I could have it made in the U.S. and at a cost whereby I could make at least a little profit. I went in search of another woodturner; someone who might have the equipment that would enable the shop to produce a high enough volume so as to drive down the manufacturing cost yet maintains the quality. I found an elderly gentleman. He went to work on the project but when I picked up my first supply, he informed me that unless he could make more than 100 at a time, he could not make them for under $20.00 each. There would be no profit. Disheartened but determined, I sold the first small supply of Oven Claws to local high-end stores, friends, anyone. People admired them, called them works of art, elegant and yet practical. I sold all but five. I kept those so that I had a variety of woods to show store owners and take orders.

My first break came while during a business meeting someone in the group suggested that we have them manufactured by a prison industry. Immediately upon arriving back at my office, I went online and found the National Correctional Industries Association, contacted them, told them what was needed and in their return email I had three references. In the end, the prison industry I chose to work with could not accomplish the complex task of adequately cutting the Oven Claw™ head and so they bowed out.

Knowing that it was probably possible to find a manufacturer, I set my team to work. They found several manufacturers but one in particular fulfilled all of our key needs: Made in the U.S.A., use recycled wood – scrap that would otherwise be trashed in the dump – maintain quality and give us a good supply quickly and inexpensively.

So, if you do your homework and if you don’t give up, you can have your projects manufactured in the U.S.A. at a reasonable cost so as to keep jobs here in this country, help local workers put food on their table and at the same time be a responsible business by going green.

Tags: oven claw, woodturner
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