Delphon Featured in Wall Street Journal
Made in USA? Now, Customers Get to Choose
By Christopher Conkey, The Wall Street Journal © 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Reproduced with permission of copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
In the beginning, there was "Made in the USA." Then came "Made in China" and "Made in India." Now comes a different twist: "Made in the USA, China or India. You choose."
Pacific Plastics & Engineering, a privately held Soquel, Calif., maker of specialized devices for medical companies, lets customers decide whether to have their product made in California, or - for at least 25% less -- at plants in India or Taiwan. "We give our customers a choice," Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Harkness says. "We don't ever pull the wool over their eyes."
Other medical-device makers are offering the same option, the latest manifestation of a trend that has been unfolding over the years as more manufacturing moves abroad. United Plastics Group Inc., Oak Brook, Ill., and the Tech Group division of West Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Lionville, Pa., also offer customers a choice between costlier domestic products and less expensive ones made overseas. "It used to be a rare service ten years ago," says Tom Podesta, vice president of sales and marketing for Tech Group.
Background: Founded in 1980, Gel-Pak has developed a line of Gel-coated device carriers and handling materials that offer solutions for applications where damage during handling must be avoided. The company's proprietary elastomer technology serves as the basis of its Gel-Box, Gel-Tray, Gel-Film, and patented Vacuum Release (VR) products. For further information on Gel-Pak's product line, please refer to their website at www.gelpak.com.
Company Contact:
Darby Davis, (510) 576-2220 or darby@gelpak.com
Marketing Contact:
Jennifer Nunes (510) 576-2253 or jnunes@gelpak.com