Thinking outside the “Made in China” box for metal fabricators

Nick Martin of Barnes MetalCrafters says the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on supply chains might force manufacturers and fabricators to rethink leaning so heavily on sourcing from China. Getty Images

Every so often we have a few changes that go on in our lives that seem to open our eyes. Whether it is work, family, or relationships, things happen, and sometimes you have to wonder why, when, or how they even came about. I’ve had something brewing in mind for a while, but it seems that only recently has the rest of society even had a glimpse of what it may be. Why are so many things made in China? There is so much of it that it honestly makes me upset.

Overall we have been pretty slow at the shop the last couple of months, and I don’t think it is because of COVID-19. New years as well as elections bring uncertainties in many companies. Recently my dad had a talk with everyone about not working any overtime and that things might get a little flaky. Although we’ve recently seen an uptick in orders, everyone we talk to has been pretty slow. If you are going to blame it on anything, it might as well be the virus. Everyone else is.

I don’t want to gripe about COVID-19 and where it originated. The trickle- down effect from this pandemic is only beginning. People are losing their minds over toilet paper and hand sanitizer while I’m over here wondering why we aren’t putting more reliance on our own skills as American makers.

I guess my whole obsession started when I was in middle school, paying attention to where my Adidas Copa Mundial soccer cleats were made. Germany, to be exact. As I got older, I noticed more and more things were made in China. Skip to me being the father of two daughters. Now I see the majority of toys and trinkets we own are made in China. I’m not knocking that country’s skills or ability to make products; I just wish there were more choices.

I don’t know why it takes something like COVID-19 to make people see the impact China has on the global economy, good or bad. I’ve heard of companies being dead in the water because of the broken supply chain. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket, but what if that was your only source of eggs? It seems that with all the technology available today, we would be able to implement more products inside our borders.

It’s always easier said than done. We make things every day at our shop to put food on the table for several families. There is opportunity out there to make other things, and with an entrepreneurial spirit, it can be done. It is hard to compete with cheap labor and cheap material costs with little to no regulations, but you have to wonder why we have to buy so much of anything made overseas.

Now that many companies are encouraging their employees to work from home, maybe it will muster some creative energy and people will have more ideas about how their company can implement new products. Either that or there will be another baby boom. Working from home is not really an option for most of our employees. We make things with our hands and machines. Welding can’t be done remotely. If anything, we could lock our doors and do what we can. We had a steel salesman drop by the other day and he was happy that we let him in the front door. He said other customers were turning him away.

You have to take precautionary measures, and I can see why. Schools are shut down in North Carolina, but I don’t see Barnes MetalCrafters taking a break. We will do what we can for as long as we can. In the meantime, wash your hands and try to keep your wig on straight. We are all in this together.

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