While I was born and raised in the U.S., I grew up very much connected to my Scottish heritage. Family gatherings included bagpipe music, singing Scottish songs and other traditions. And for some 15 years, I competed in Scottish Highland dancing. I knew the story of my great grandfather coming here to work in the steel mills of Pittsburgh. My great grandmother, along with their kids — including my grandfather — were sent for later.
I’m proud of my heritage. I’m also rooted as an American and the family and traditions we have formed here. I’ve had the pleasure of spending time in nearly every state and am always blown away by the diverse and stunning landscape — each holds something quintessentially American while honoring the rich mix of cultures that planted seeds here.
When we first launched the Made in America Issue about a decade ago (followed by the World Marketplace Issue) it was to shine a light on what domestically made products brought to the market and then where imports fit in. While the basic stories hold true today, supply chain management is much more complicated and makers are leaning on and looking to domestic production to benefit from the logistics and infrastructure the U.S. provides.
Then, we focused on the landscape and what was being made here and the benefits stateside production brought. It was somewhat of a simple story to tell. There was a lot of red, white and blue sentiment — how the industry supports local economies and communities and simplifies logistics for customers.
Today, it is more than American pride, it’s good business. Successful suppliers utilize strategies that put manufacturing close to where they are selling the product be it here or other parts of the world. And no matter where it comes from, it supports the success of the businesses firmly planted here at home.
Indeed, reliance on imports has put strain on the industry with the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). It is complicated because there isn’t yet a clear checklist or procedure for having product not containing material from that region released. Companies such as Mannington are now clearly identifying what products are made here and readily available from one of several of its domestic facilities. When we visited headquarters in Salem, N.J. last month, leadership shared their efforts to provide every possible documentation — an enormous amount of time is being spent on navigating the process and managing the supply chain.
Categories like carpet have primarily been Made in America. And that hasn’t changed. But if you look at FCW’s Annual Statistical Report in our last edition (July 24), you will see confirmation that LVT and all of its subsegments are growing at lightning speed, so much so that even with the move to onshore manufacturing over the last several years, there simply isn’t enough being made in this country right now to support the growing demand.
That will change over time as leaders in the industry continue to build production lines — investing and innovating. FCW’s Business Editor Sharyn Bernard has been following the ULFPA situation closely. In this issue, she looks at how this import challenge is impacting the desire to create more onshore manufacturing and the moves being made to increase U.S. production.
Sharyn has also taken on some of the other challenges facing specialty floor covering retailers today. In this third edition of Retail Business 101, she takes on succession planning — a topic we have heard more and more about, especially post-pandemic.
Indeed, this issue addresses some of the industry’s greatest pain points. But we also look at the lighter side with our Style & Design feature that charts the hottest trends driving flooring sales across the country. This piece is penned by our summer intern Angelique Dorcely who has just accepted a fulltime position on the FCW team. Help us welcome Angelique to this great industry!
Stay safe. Stay inspired.