Made in America
After years of American manufacturing jobs moving overseas, we are thrilled that "made in America" is finally coming back in style. It's about time! However, Wingdow® has always been a "made in America" company--and we are very proud of that fact. When everyone else was outsourcing their manufacturing to China, India, and elsewhere, we were making our products here--and supporting other small businesses committed to keeping jobs in the US. Fellow manufacturers (and even some customers) considered us "foolish"--and said we'd never be able to compete if we didn't move our business overseas. And, quite frankly, they were right. We struggled in the early days of our company. A lot. But, with so many manufacturing jobs leaving the US, we felt it was important--and a moral obligation--to keep our business here. So we did.
Altruism aside, we were also keenly aware of the difficulties involved in manufacturing overseas. Different cultures have very different ideas on "what constitutes quality", and we did not feel we had the knowledge or resources to adequately control the quality of product being made thousands of miles away. Our Wingdow® Seat product, in particular, is a very difficult product to make. It is a heat-formed product--requiring perfect material, a perfect mold, perfect temperature, and perfect timing. If any one of the above conditions are not met, the result is a flawed and cloudy plastic shell that no self-respecting bird would use. By keeping our manufacturing stateside, however, we had the ability to supervise every step of the manufacturing process and ensure the end result was a quality product. Similarly, we were well aware of differences in quality of the raw materials made in the US versus overseas. For example, stainless steel--the material we use for all Wingdow® playstands--is not the same everywhere in the world. There are over 100 different types (grades) of stainless steel, which vary in hardness, strength, corrosion, and heat resistance based on their percentage of chromium and nickel. SAE International* has established strict standards regarding the composition and quality of these stainless grades. These standards that are strictly adhered to by US stainless manufacturers but not necessarily by manufacturers in Asia and other parts of the world--where stainless steel metals (nickel and chromium) are in short supply and where other (potentially unsafe) metals may enter the stainless mix. That's why Wingdow® uses only high quality, AMERICAN-MADE stainless, plastics, and other materials in our products--because we KNOW what we're getting--and we can be sure it is safe for our pets.
Last but not least, by keeping our business here, we have been able to forge strong and long-lasting relationships with some outstanding vendors--people who are as committed to delivering quality as we are. James in Ohio handles the thermoforming and production of our Wingdow® Seats. Greg in Missouri and Randy in Kansas form and weld all the components for our stainless playstands. Vince in Delaware makes the stainless hardware for all of our products. Mike in Pennsylvania spins metal pieces for our Unipod stand. All of these men are more than vendors. They are also partners--whose knowledge and creative contributions have helped us take many a Wingdow® product from paper concept to design and production.
Wingdow® is proud to be a "made in America" company--and we hope that "made in America" means something to you, too.
*SAE International, initially established as the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a US-based, globally active professional association and standards organization for engineering professionals in various industries.SAE International coordinates the development of technical standards based on best practices identified and described by SAE committees and task forces.