Love staying up to date? Forward this to a friend to subscribe!

This report is brought to you in partnership with Sustainment, a market network dedicated to the success of American Manufacturing. Learn More →

This Week in Manufacturing

Longevity in business has to grow from multiple factors, including dedication. This week’s feature company grew from a single idea to international expansion in soft goods. 

Our feature company is Softline Brand Partners of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company has managed to weather supply chain hiccups and staffing shortages. Now, they do their part to shore up strong American manufacturing values.

This week’s new podcast, The Manufacturing Report, highlights a successful union move in the garment industry.

Next, this week’s headlines cover a wide variety of industry successes from shoes to chemical and mechanical manufacturing.

Finally, this week’s Social Video showcases the finer side of soft goods: handmade.

Thanks for joining us!

P.S. Do you have a story to share about innovation at your company? We'd love to profile you! Click here

⚙ Manufacturing Headlines

• Is The Future Of The American City In Making Shoes? [Forbes]

• AEM’s Manufacturing Express Rolls on Through the Southern U.S. [AEM]

• Long-term soft goods growth in MN [CompanyWeek]

• Meeting the Growing Demand for Chemistry in America [American Chemistry Council]

• Mechanical contractor invests $3.5 million to build new facility in Louisiana [Plant Services]

• Arkansas’ manufacturing sector producing more “with fewer workers” [TB&P]

CONSUMER PRODUCTS

♨️ Softline Brand Partners

Softline Brand Partners was born out of necessity after Founder Adam Blitzer developed a line of travel bags and accessories in 2010.

Born out of a need to produce his own travel products, Blitzer’s Softline now solely manufactures for other companies; 90% of which are domestic firms. The company did no marketing at all for nearly six years, and today, it just sends out a couple of email blasts a year and keeps its website informative and up to date.

Word-of-mouth referrals from existing customers are the main avenue that keeps bringing new work in, to the point that Softline now boasts five U.S. factories and one in Vietnam.

Upshot: “The most difficult part of that journey was finding a manufacturer. So, I ended up starting one to fulfill my own needs to manufacture my own products and quickly realized there was a real need for a modern U.S.A factory.”

FROM THE FEED

📱Handmade leather messenger bag

 🤨 Did You Know?

The American leather industry had a strong year with

 $21 billion

in sales

^{Source: Industry Select}

🎧 Podcasts Worth A Listen

⏱Stay Up to Date on Your Projects→

Reduce wasted time trying to understand the status of your outsourced projects. Our platform offers a fast, structured, and organized way to communicate with your suppliers while maintaining a full record of supplier interactions. Learn More →

CompanyWeek is the voice of the modern manufacturing economy, telling stories of U.S. Manufacturers to showcase workers, innovation, technology, and progress.