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WHERE IS THE PRODUCT MADE

 

One of the most common questions we receive is "Where Are Your Products Made?" and "Is this US Made?". Most of our products are assembled in the USA, using components from a mix of USA and foreign vendors. When determining where a product is made, or commonly referred to as "Country of Origin", a product must undergo "Substantial Transformation" in the originating country. In addition to Country of Origin, there are more specialized clsssifications like Berry Compliance and Mil-Spec that we will explain.

Full disclosure, we are in the business of manufacturing cargo control products and custom straps. The following provided information is for quick reference because of how frequently we get asked about this topic. We are happy to assist with the designation for our products, but recommmend seeking official government documentation for a more detailed explanation.

If you have questions or need further clarification for our products, please contact our customer service by email at sales@customtiedowns.com or by phone at 1-877-360-5528.

 

Country of Origin

 

Country of origin is the designation of where the final substantial transformation of a product occurs. For example, in the production of webbing, the webbing yarn can come from China, dyeing agents from the US and if woven in the USA, the country of origin is USA. Even though the majority of physical good, the yarn, came from China, making webbing out of yarn is substantial enough to make it considered a USA product.

There are limitations to this rule, specifically, related to transformation versus assembly. The US government uses the term "substantial" for a reason. Gathering a bunch of parts and just assembling them is generally not considered substantial transformation.

When it comes to our products, cargo control, ratchet straps, tie-downs and straps, there are some specific considerations we use to identify the final country of origin designation. Since most of our products are built to each order, we are able to label most of our products US made or Assembled in the USA. Our production includes cutting webbing to length, printing, sewing, assembly and finishes with packaging.

    Considerations:
  • What percentage of the components are made in the USA
  • What transformation do the components go through to make the final product
  • Are the transformations substantial enough to be considered US made
  • Can it be considered US made or Assembled in the USA
 


Berry Compliant

 

The next level of US made designation is Berry Amendment Compliance. Berry compliant means that a product has been grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States and meets the requirements of the Berry Amendment. The Berry Amendment was first instituted in 1941 to help preserve the United States industrial base during the time of war. Today, it is primarily required only when supplying the Department of Defense or their suppliers with products.

The simplest way to understand the Berry Compliant requirements is that all components that make up a final product must wholly come from the United States. Using our earlier "US Made" webbing example, because the yarn originated from China, this webbing product would not be considered Berry Compliant. No foreign materials are allowed in a Berry Compliant product.

In the cargo control indutry, we most commonly get Berry Compliant requests related to webbing. Currently, Berry Compliance only applies to products in these categories: Clothing, Footwear, Food, Hand or measuring tools, Stainless steel flatware, Dinnerware, Textiles.

 


Mil-Spec Materials

 

Mil-spec or Military Specification, takes US made and Berry Compliant one step further. Mil-spec products are manufactured to US military specifications and must also be fully Berry Compliant. Using our webbing example, Mil-spec indentifies exactly how the webbing is constructed in addition to meeting the Berry Amendment requirements.

Mil-spec, unlike Berry Compliance, can apply to nearly any type of product sold into the Department of Defense. In the cargo control industry, we are asked for Mil-Spec on webbing, tie-downs, straps, metal and plastic components.

 

Summary

 

Country of Origin, US Made, Berry Compliant and Mil-spec are all classifications donoting where and how a product is considered produced. Berry compliance and Mil-spec are Department of Defense specifications that require materials and products to be wholly from the USA.

We are proud to put most of our products together in our USA factory. That being said, we do offer products that are US made, imported, and a mix of US made and imported. If your project has specialty requirements like US Made, Berry Compliance or Mil-Spec, please contact our customer service by email at sales@customtiedowns.com or by phone at 1-877-360-5528 to allow us to assist.

 
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