Steel Drum Beat

Drum Island!  We make sweet music with our drums. We tap out the rhythm of American Made Products every day here in Wisconsin.  The song of Industry rings out from the sound of the steel drums in use.  We cool them, we heat them, we save them, we savor them.  They store all the secret and not so secret ingredients of our stock in trade.

The Pied Piper

If you are waiting for a sign...

Summer and Fall have vanished and Winter is settling in to stay. Heating bills are arriving.  Indoors become attractive and with indoor time comes indoor dry heat and skin and lip dehydration.  Combine low outdoor moisture with indoor heating and your entire system needs more moisture.  Drink plenty of water, use hydrating skin lotion and lip balm. Simple.

Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Spice for the lips.

All of the Alliance Family wish you and yours the best Thanksgiving ever!  We have much to be thankful for here in mighty Saukville Wisconsin.  Packers won yesterday! Yea.  Business is good! Yea.  Our many products are in use around the globe! Yea!  We seem to be reasonably healthy!  We are an American Manufacturing Company with Made in America products! Yea!  We are raising kids, taking care of aging parents, enjoying empty nests, volunteering at various community service organizations and charities, supporting our freedom of religions, working hard and enjoying life.  Some of us are hunting during deer season.  We are rooting for our favorite teams.  And the weather is very nice for this time of year.

We hope you are doing as well and enjoy the time with your families.

And if you would like a sample of one of our seasonal lip balms, send a note along to us.

The Pied Piper

Alliance is on Fire!

Alliance Training Sir
Army Training Sir

We had select office and plant people go through Fire and Extinguisher class yesterday.  And the grand finale was real fire fighting training.  You can see that on a cold and blustery day, we got after it!

So rest assured that while we keep things cooking on the inside, we are emergency ready. We have hot products and cool people!

The Pied Piper

What Is 'Made in America' Worth?

Probably more than you think. As more manufacturing returns to U.S. shores, early signs show that a "Made in America" label is a serious competitive advantage.

VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm/Getty

 

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Think of the label "Made in America." What brand images come to mind? Odds are, you've conjured up a picture of one of two scenes.
First, there's that rugged, sturdy (if underappreciated), no-frills, American quality. It's the stuff of Chrysler Automotive's much-praised "Imported from Detroit" ad, and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." If you buy this two-fisted version of "Made in the USA," you also likely buy American because you're patriotic. You don't care if elites would rather buy a BMW.
The other Made-in-America vision embraces an artisanal, moral, locavore sensibility. Think of Whole Foods, or, in apparel, Brooklyn Industries. In this vision, you buy boutique American goods because they're holier-than-corporate and show off your elevated taste (not to mention your ability to afford such taste).
If one of these images is all that comes to mind, though, recent research and certain branding experts suggest that you're selling "Made in America" short. The label still has far more international cachet than Americans are likely to give it credit for. Even in the United States, buyers have proven that they'll pay considerably more for some kinds of American-made goods--simply because they expect them to be a better value.
International perceptions of "Made in America," are rooted in global perceptions of the country itself--and that news is surprisingly favorable for domestic manufacturers. Simon Anholt is a British branding consultant and creator of the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index, which measures a nation's international reputation. In the market-research company's most recent survey, released in late October, the U.S. ranked first--for the fourth year in a row.
"The strengths of America's international standing continue to be innovation, opportunities and vibrancy," Anholt said in a press release. Germany placed second and the U.K. third. China didn't crack the top 10.
None of this would come as a surprise to Drew Greenblatt, president and owner of Baltimore-based Marlin Steel Wire Products, an Inc. 5000 honoree that manufactures only in the United States.
"American manufacturers have a reputation for getting it right the first time," Greenblatt says. "And a lot of clients are comfortable that, if they don't get it right, American companies will bend over backwards to make good on it quickly." Since companies that manufacture in America often can't compete on price, they have to compete on quality, service, or speed--and they have a reputation for doing all they can to defend that brand edge.
Part of the advantage Greenblatt enjoys is technological. Forced to compete with companies that benefit from lower labor costs overseas, American manufacturers have invested heavily in advanced plants. That tends to provides an edge in manufacturing precision and flexibility.
"I can manufacture to tolerances of 10 microns," he says. "My Chinese competitors can't match that."
And domestic customers? While U.S. buyers tend to be less impressed by American quality and innovation, they are willing to cut the "Made in USA" label considerable slack. In a study of consumer perceptions of clothing made in the United States vs. that made in China, Jung Ha-Brookshire, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri, found that when offered a choice between a shirt made in the U.S. with U.S. cotton and one made in China with local materials, American consumers strongly preferred the "Made in USA" label. They also valued the American-made garment nearly twice that of the Chinese one.
American Giant, a San Francisco-based maker of cotton shirts and sweats, trades on that preference. But it's also cautious not to presume too much about consumers' patriotic tendencies.
"We try to bring business savvy and innovation to bear so that we can compete on price and quality with foreign-made apparel," says CEO and founder Bayard Winthrop. "By shouting that you're American-made, you're asking people to make an exception for you and accept lousy quality or higher prices for a 'Made in USA' label. You can't build a scalable business that way.”
Contrary to the thrust of much election-season advertising, America's reputation seems to be improving, not receding. In the Nation Brands Index, the United States was the only nation among the top 10 to improve its standing. A lot of this has to do with the American economy. While the United States has emerged sluggishly from the 2008 financial crisis, its recovery is firmly established, and is now more than three years old. The U.S. faces nothing like the 25% unemployment of Spain or the shrinking GDPs of most European nations. "Success is a major dimension of the American brand," as Allen Adamson, managing director of global-branding outfit Landor Associates, told Businessweek.
At the same time, the labor-cost penalty that American manufacturers have to compensate for continues to shrink. Greenblatt says that his Chinese competitors used to pay workers 28 cents an hour but now pay $2.38, not including the 50% tax for the Chinese version of social security.
The U.S. is still not a cheap place to manufacture, admits Greenblatt, but he is content to compete internationally on U.S. companies' reputations for agility and quality.
"We're not selling to ignorant people," he says. "Our clients have plenty of choice, but they choose us because they are confident we'll deliver what we promised. Regardless of what anyone says, the rest of the world has a lot of faith in American ingenuity."

Read more:

'Made in the U.S.A.' Has Unexpected Cachet

How to Bring Apple's Manufacturing Home

How an Entrepreneur Became the Go-To Spokesman for U.S. Manufacturing

Eric Schurenberg is the editor-in-chief of Inc. Before joining Inc,

Lip Smacking Good

Even the the hardworking crew at Alliance take a break now and then.  Recently we had an indoor picnic for all hands on deck.  Late lunch for the first shift and an early lunch for the second shift.  Persons, who shall remain nameless, managed to push as much food into their systems as humanly possible.  Overheard the comment "I am too full but there is still good stuff left." and the Answer was "eat your way through it".

The Pied Piper

Supply and Demand in Youth Sports

SGMA Study: Basketball, Baseball, & Swimming Have Highest Percentage of ' Core' Participants
SportsOneSource Media     Posted: 9/6/2012

The forces of supply and demand are having a major impact on team sports in the United States. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association's (SGMA) annual participation study on team sports - U. S. Trends in Team Sports (2012 edition) - the number of 6-17 year old children that want to play youth sports is on the rise while overall play in local youth sports leagues is decreasing. This SGMA study indicates that there is a shortage of available facilities and local recreation leagues (a supply issue) and there has been an evolution for team sports, such as basketball, soccer, lacrosse, and baseball, into a tournament and 'showcase' based model that puts less importance on regular, local league play (a demand issue).

"The importance and significance of team sports in our lives in the U.S. has never been greater than it is right now and this was reflected in the record number of Americans who watched the Olympic Games on television this summer.  Our national interest in the U.S. Olympic teams that competed in basketball, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, and track & field was substantial, to say the least," said SGMA President Tom Cove. "While interest is high in team sports, overall participation in 19 team sports actually declined from 2010 to 2011.  It would be great if many of the spectators actually decided to participate as well!"

THE GOOD NEWS

According to SGMA's U. S. Trends in Team Sports, the team sports which have had strongest gains in overall participation since 2008 are lacrosse (up 37.3%), rugby (up 30%), gymnastics (up 21.4%), ice hockey (up 13.9%), beach volleyball (up 10.6%), and ultimate Frisbee (up 9.6%).  Among the 24 team sports in this study, baseball (69%), basketball (67%), and swimming for competition (64%) have the highest percentage of 'core' participants, which are those who are the most committed, in terms of playing days, to their respective sport.  

"Team sports are actually getting a boost from adult females (age 18+) and among young females (age 6-12).  On the other hand, fewer and fewer adult males (age 18+) are playing team sports and those that do play are not playing as many sports as they have been in the past," said Neil Schwartz, director of business development for SGMA Research.

SPENDING MONEY ON TEAM SPORTS
In U.S. Trends in Team Sports, there is a section that reports on consumer spending on team sports.  The results are revealing:

Equipment Is Key.  U.S. consumers were less likely to report cuts in spending on sporting goods equipment in the 2012 survey than they were in the 2011 survey.

'Niche' Sports Spur Spending. At least 40% of the participants in field hockey, ice hockey, roller hockey, lacrosse, and wrestling reported an increase in equipment spending in 2011.

Spending This Year.  Nearly 40% of team sports participants plan to increase their spending this year on 'travel to take part in sports/recreation activities' and 'team sports outside of school.'

OUTSIDE INTERESTS
In U.S. Trends in Team Sports, a survey was conducted among team sports athletes to see which sports and activities - outside of their main team sports - interested them.  

1.    75% of all cheerleaders have no other athletic interests;
2.    34% of basketball players enjoy working out with weights;
3.    28% of baseball players like bicycle riding;
4.    Golf is most appealing to baseball players and roller hockey players;
5.    Tennis is most popular among grass volleyball players and indoor soccer players.

LISTEN TO THE LEADERS OF TEAM SPORTS
This edition of U.S. Trends in Team Sports features Q & A interviews with four individuals who play a prominent role in team sports in the U.S.  They are Scott Hallenbeck, executive director, USA Football; Stephen Keener, president/CEO, Little League Baseball International; Jon Butler, executive director, Pop Warner Football; and Kevin Davis, president/CEO, Bauer Hockey.

Scott Hallenbeck says USA Football is constantly looking at how the game can be enhanced and improved.  In a nutshell, Hallenback says preserving the status quo is never the option at USA Football.

"Football has thrived for decades. It's notable how strong the game is, although there are so many ways that we are improving it, particularly in coaching education. The sport must continue to evolve. This is happening," said Hallenbeck.  "We have the only nationally accredited coaching education program.  Coaching education and instruction have become an important part of youth football. Ours incorporates video, quizzes, 3D visualization, and other tools that add practical value. We have more than 30,000 coaches who come to us individually each year. They genuinely want to get better."

At Little League Baseball, Keener says it's important that, as young children, promising baseball players should not focus their athletic talents just on the game of baseball.

"We try to educate parents that everything we've heard tells us that specialization at such a young age is not necessarily a good thing,
"said Keener. "For instance, in warm weather locations kids are being provided opportunities to play baseball year-round and they get burned out. They'll be healthier long-term if they diversify."

At Pop Warner, Jon Butler says his group is well informed on the issue of concussions and is doing everything in its power to keep players as safe as possible.

"In 2010 we established the Pop Warner Medical Advisory Board, led by physicians with expertise in neuromedicine and sports safety, to ensure that Pop Warner stays at the forefront of new health and safety issues and any medical developments that may affect our young athletes,"said Butler.  "In June we announced two new rule changes for the 2012 season that address the type of contact and amount of contact allowed in football practice - a first at any level of the sport."

While Bauer is having success in the marketplace, Kevin Davis says his company does not take that success for granted.

"With Bauer we have 60% market share in ice hockey helmets, and with Cascade we have 80% market share in lacrosse helmets'so safety is our responsibility," said Davis.  "We treat each season like you rent your market share. We approach everything from a relatively humble basis. There's a consumer and a customer, and you have to earn that business every season."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Listed below are some newsworthy excerpts from this edition of U.S. Trends in Team Sports:

A Young Foundation:  Competitive swimming has the highest percentage of 'core' participants who are 6-17 years-old, as 84% of all 'core' competitive swimmers are in that age group.  And, 70% of all swimmers are in the 6-17 year-old age group.

School Is Cool:   Cheerleading has the highest percentage (77%) of 'core' participants who are engaged in an activity through either school or college.

Girls Rule:  There are seven activities where more than 50% of the 'core' participants are female - cheerleading, field hockey, gymnastics, fast-pitch softball, swimming for competition, court volleyball, and grass volleyball.

The Mature Crowd:  Beach volleyball has the highest percentage of 'core' participants who are between the ages of 25 and 54 - 64%.

Money Matters:  The two sports where the largest percentage of participants comes from households that make more than $100,000 a year are field hockey and swimming for competition.




Those are the facts as we see them.  Want to support your teams and young athletes?  FACE PAINT!
Want to protect your precious assets?  SPF 30 for the outdoor sports!
We make them both.
The Pied Piper