Although there has been international trade for thousands of years, it has only been around 150 years since the face of product design, teamwork, and mass manufacturing was fundamentally altered by the rapid speeds of automation and industrialization. Having said that, it’s possible that “made in the USA” products could soon become obsolete. Even some of the more venerable and recognizable American companies—companies you might assume to be wholly American—are no longer so. High-speed internet, low-cost overseas labor, low-cost commodities, and programmatic automation have temporarily relocated several once “American” brands to other countries. Are you genuinely supporting the American company you believed to be American? Find out now by just a moment!
Converse
Converse, a renowned streetwear and professional skater clothing company, was founded in 1908. The renowned shoe manufacturer was acquired by the clothing multinational Nike in 2003, almost a century after it was founded. Production was then moved overseas at the time of the purchase. The “All-American” Converse are now produced at facilities in China and Indonesia.
Forbes
It is believed that 75 million readers and viewers every month are reached by Forbes Media, the prestigious digital media and television powerhouse. Although Steve Forbes is still the editor-in-chief and the company is still based in New York, the brand was actually sold to Hong Kong Investment Group in 2014.
New Balance
The headquarters of the sports wear company New Balance are in Oregon. As a result of their original American design and use of American-sourced materials, it is sometimes said that their items are produced in the USA, although this is just untrue. For instance, a variety of different elements are purchased from elsewhere, yet the outside souls of their shoes are made in China.
Dirt Devil
The Dirt Devil brand, which was created in 1984 by Royal Appliance Manufacturing, has been terrifying dogs and keeping floors clean for decades. The Dirt Devil and Hoover vacuum cleaner brands were acquired by TTI, a Chinese manufacturer, in 2013, despite the fact that the company is still headquartered in North Carolina.
Nike
Since its inception, Nike has established a reputation as an American athletic brand across all sports, from basketball to football and everything in between. Nike designs may be American, similar to New Balance, but it is now widely known that the shoes are made in China and Vietnam. The fact that the company is notorious for questionable labor and sweatshop tactics doesn’t help.
Ray-Bans
Although Bausch and Lomb Company established Ray-Bans in 1937, the brand is no longer American. Tom Cruise may have contributed to the brand’s transformation into a luxury item. In 1999, the company was sold to Luxottica, a titan in the production of sunglasses. Presently, China and Italy are the countries where these glasses are made. Only older models offered by independent dealers and owners are built in America.
iPad and iPhones
It’s hardly surprising that Apple takes advantage of China’s low wages given that it is the biggest and most admired corporation in the world. The reason is unknown to many, though. It is not surprising that these wildly popular electrical gadgets are produced in the resource-rich region given that China controls 97% of the world’s supply of rare earth elements (gold, silver, and copper, to mention a few).
Tesla
Tesla, led by the lauded but divisive Elon Musk, is an American success story that, depending on your perspective, has factories all over the world. In Shanghai, China, a new factory has just been constructed. Even while Tesla may have a sizable factory in Fremont, California, indicating that the company is largely American-made, approximately 50% of its product parts are still built elsewhere.
Motorola
Motorola is yet another IT business that is now controlled by Chinese investors, like many others. Google sold the phone brand to Lenovo in 2014. Although the company’s main offices are located in Chicago, Illinois, Motorola currently manufactures its phones in China and occasionally even India.
Segway Inc.
The first Segway, a futuristic two-wheeled, upright scooter with gyro stabilization, entered the globe in 2002. The demonstration of personal transportation technology was amazing. Although the Segway firm never really achieved success in the American market, the device was particularly well-liked in the tourism sector. Segway was always being traded about since it never gained widespread popularity outside of selling as a niche product. Through a transaction in 2015, it eventually discovered its current owner Nine Bot, a Shanghai-based software business.
LL Bean
LL Bean is well-known for its outdoor clothing and camping supplies and is also known for their excessively lenient return policy. Since 1912, the company has provided warm, waterproof boots, coats, and other outdoor goods to Americans; 425 of its 5,000 items are made here. However, 90% of the goods that LL Bean sells are still produced in factories in Mexico, China, India, and other countries.
Uber
Sharing the cost of a ride gave Uber founders Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp the idea for their company. The business debuted in 2009, but in 2016 it sold its Chinese assets to a Chinese rival, DiDi Chuxing Technology. Uber (China) was compelled to sell because it was losing $1 billion annually to the Chinese mobility firm. DiDi acquired a small share in Uber as part of this transaction as well.
Craftsman
Craftsman products were proudly offered in Sears department stores across the nation for many years. They were also offered for sale for a while in Kmart shops. Sears sold the Craftsman line to Stanley Black & Decker in 2017 to help the business stay viable. While certain handcrafted items are still produced in the US, many others are now produced by foreign companies. They are currently widely produced by the Chinese business Apex Tool.
Gillette Razors
For a while, Gillette Razors took great pride in claiming that its goods were “manufactured in Boston.” However, a lot of the parts originate from several foreign suppliers. Locally, in China, from Poland, and even from Mexico do some of them originate from.
Calvin Klein
In 1968, Calvin Klein opened its doors in New York City. You might be shocked to learn that the majority of their leather originates from Italy while the majority of their other common materials, naturally, come from China. This is despite the fact that the American brand is prominently displayed across all advertising media.
Spotify
The most popular digital music and podcast streaming service in the world is Spotify, which is seen as Apple Music’s major rival. However, Tencent Music Entertainment group, a Chinese corporation, currently controls a portion of Spotify following a share exchange in 2013.
Hush Puppies Shoes
Hush Puppies, a Michigan-based firm founded in 1957 by Wolverine Worldwide, has long been known for its distinctive shoes that are renowned for their great comfort. But times have changed, and China is now the place to produce these shoes for considerably less money. Thankfully, the company’s reputation for excellence still exists.
Huffy Bikes
Huffy Bikes, which was established in 1887, was the first company to create a child’s bike with detachable training wheels. Sadly, two of its American facilities shut down as production prices increased, shifting operations to China. Taiwan and Mexico both have factories. One of these three locations provides over three-quarters of their bicycle parts.
Harley-Davidson
If you didn’t know, one of the two motorcycle manufacturers to make it through the Great Depression was Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson, however, was unable to continue full manufacture in the US because of higher local expenses. The corporation shifted a large portion of the manufacture of its electrical components to China in 2018. Nevertheless, they continue to operate factories in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Missouri.
Radio Flyer
The namesake item was manufactured completely of metal when the Radio Flyer Wagon was created in Chicago for the first time. Once plastic was used, the wagons were produced outside of the US. The production process was mostly moved to China in 2004 because they could make the plastic bits required to finish the cherry-red wagon, even if the firm still produces certain products domestically.
Little Tykes Cozy Coupe
The “Cozy Coupes”-brand Little Tykes, which was established in 1969 by Thomas Murdough Jr., is currently produced in Hudson, Ohio. Despite this, China is where the individual parts are produced. However, the business is pleased to showcase only US-made goods on its website.
Zippo Lighters
Since 1933, Pennsylvania has produced the American-made Zippo Lighter as well. During World War II, when its exterior was praised for its “steely” strength, the brand truly began to flourish. For those who are unaware, Zippo pays prisoners to construct the lighters while they are incarcerated.
KitchenAid Mixers
The KitchenAid corporation is well known for creating its colorful standing mixers, which are a staple in every kitchen. A small number of parts are manufactured in China, while the majority are shipped by factories in Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, South Carolina, Indiana, and Ohio.
Gibson Brands (Guitar)
Internationally renowned for producing guitars and other instruments, Gibson Brands was once known as the Gibson Guitar Corporation. The company was established in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is best recognized for its Les Paul brand. Gibson builds all of its guitars at one of two Tennessee factories, one in Bozeman, Montana, or both.