There’s no shortage of discussion about how to keep manufacturing jobs in the U.S. But while others talk about it, my small-town factory has been doing it successfully for decades.
We’re a small plant in Vincennes, Indiana, an American arm of the Schott international technology group. For more than 35 years, our Schott Ceran facility has employed skilled manufacturing workers to produce the glass-ceramic cooktop panels used in more than half the cooktops sold in the U.S.
And, no, we haven’t done it by always being the cheapest. We did it by following a few rules that can help make any manufacturer stronger.
1. Specialize and Innovate to Compete
For us, competing globally starts with focus. We specialize in one thing: the cook panels, which are made of an advanced material originally used to protect spacecraft from the heat of re-entering the earth’s atmosphere and built to withstand extreme temperatures and years of daily use. Every year, we work to improve our process. Our intense focus helps us move fast when our appliance partners need something new.
We can pivot quickly, because we know our industry inside and out. That has meant everything from developing glass that paves the way for intelligent cooktop panels (important for connected kitchens) to creating new coatings that minimize how much a home cook needs to clean.
The takeaway for other manufacturers? Find the niche where quality matters more than cost. The narrower your focus, the deeper your expertise, the harder it becomes for others to compete.
2. Make Responsibility Part of your Strategic Business Plan
Years ago, we developed a patented glass process for melting that doesn’t use toxic heavy metals like arsenic or antimony. More recently, we created a high-performance coating that’s fired permanently into the glass. It’s an environmentally friendlier method that avoids etching with hydrofluoric acid.
We didn’t make these choices because they were regulated. We made these moves because we believe they’re better for our employees, our community and our long-term success. That commitment is part of what helps us stay competitive.
Both consumers and our appliance manufacturer customers care about how things are made. When the process is cleaner and safer, it helps build trust and relationships outside our factory and within. Everyone from the end users to our employees knows that we care.
3. Invest in Your People
Our workforce of 129 people in Vincennes, Indiana is small, but it’s steady. Many of our employees have been here for more than 15 years. Some of them work alongside their husbands or wives, nieces and nephews, even their grown children.
That kind of continuity (and community) can’t be replaced.
When people stay at a job for years, they keep getting better at what they do. They share what they know, they train the next generation and they take ownership. We think of it as a kind of quality control—one that can’t be outsourced.
American plants like ours build loyalty. We invest in our employees’ training, safety and job stability. In return, they offer craftmanship and pride. It’s a lesson for manufacturers facing a shortage of skilled workers.
It’s Never Been About Chasing Low Cost
Every manufacturer is looking for ways to stay competitive. For us, it’s about doing what we do best, and doing it better every day.
That’s how 129 people in a small town on the Wabash River have kept high-skill manufacturing jobs in the U.S. for more than 35 years.
I believe it’s how more American factories—like yours—can do the same.
