OEM Insights

by Mitchell Rona, Executive  Vice President, #GlobalSourcerer

As we move toward the end of 2019, tariffs continue to affect our industry. As a result, this has been a challenging year for many sourcing professionals. We are all in it together, as we see consequences and tremors up and down the supply chain. As the tariffs linger, there continues to be discussion about the value of using an established OEM service, or attempting to establish an in-country presence and go it alone. The risk of starting a ground up operation overseas is significant, with many unforeseen minefields, which can result in disaster.  Additionally, the costs associated with staffing, relocating personnel, and operating in an unfamiliar business culture can be enormous…. Read More >

by Mitchell Rona, Executive Vice President, #GlobalSourcerer

As anyone who has been doing business in China knows, the country’s environmental problems are well documented. China hit the world stage, and increased its international profile back in 2008 when it hosted the Olympics in Beijing. For China, this was like a debutante’s coming out ball!

Since then, China has consistently made strides to improve its environmental standing in the world. In the last two to three years, that push for improvements in environmental compliance has increased, and has translated into tremendous pressure on all manufacturing suppliers; it has hit suppliers of iron and steel castings especially hard.

In late 2017, and the first half of 2018, this pressure intensified as many suppliers suffered … Read More >

Gorilla Bow Fitness had a strong sales year in 2018, thanks to the help of SIGMA OEM’s design, manufacture, and logistics service team. Fans of the product couldn’t get enough of the innovative full body workout apparatus, and they requested a more portable version so they could travel with it. The team at Gorilla began to conceptualize a prototype that could be disassembled for travel but maintained the strength to withstand the 350 pounds of resistance required for usage…. Read More >

by Mitchell Rona,  Executive  Vice President,  #GlobalSourcerer

Global sourcing experts often rely on the legacy of the deals made in the past as the benchmarks for planning the future. Most loyal and reliable suppliers will maintain these legacy deals, only asking their buyers to cover the markers of cost, which are visible in the public domain. However, these suppliers may decline to quote new projects to these same customers, because the legacy prices are artificially low, and cannot be matched in the current climate. If they were to quote market value prices for new projects, customers might experience comparative “sticker shock.” This may not be true in all cases, but global sourcing experts with a long historical view are observing these types of changes in the market…. Read More >

by Mitchell Rona, Executive  Vice President, #GlobalSourcerer

Tariffs imposed on goods from China are now nearing the one-year mark, and these duties continue to impact the business climate. The future remains uncertain, and global procurement specialists are left to decide how to best plan for the days, weeks, months and possibly years ahead. Some are feverishly “casting” as wide a net as possible looking for any and all options outside China. Others are cautiously exploring what might be possible elsewhere while hoping to avoid the arduous process of establishing new infrastructure after many successful years of solid service and sound supply chains that Chinese manufacturers have delivered. Still others are hunkering down with their existing suppliers in China and finding any and all means to maximize other areas to offset the tariff’s impact on the overall cost.

Regardless of what group you currently fall into, there is truly no quick fix or silver bullet to assure the decisions you are making are indeed the best option. … Read More >

SIGMA has assembled a team of OEM experts to ensure that we continue to deliver industry-leading quality and service regardless of market fluctuations, global uncertainty and external factors. Please feel free to reach out to the following professionals for help with your OEM, castings, and sourcing needs:

Back Row – Left to Right:

Steve Kreiser, Product Engineer – SKreiser@sigmaco.com
Kathy Searles, Business Development Manager – kg1@sigmaco.com
Korey Kinler, Customer Service – kkinler@sigmaco.com
Jose Nieves, Associate OEM Business Manager – jnieves@sigmaco.com
Stephanie Goff, Customer Service – sgoff@sigmaco.com
Renee Cohen, Customer Service – rcohen@sigmaco.com
Craig Schapiro, Customer Service – CS1@sigmaco.com

Front Row – Left to Right:

Kaitlyn Bartlett, Business Development Assistant – kbartlett@sigmaco.com
Kelly Grant, Customer Service Manager – kf3@sigmaco.com
Ajay Roy, Global Engineering Manager – AR2@sigmaco.com
Meena Singh, Customer Service – MS1@sigmaco.com
Melissa Perrine, Business Development Coordinator – MP1@sigmaco.com
Melissa Heredia, Customer Service – mK2@sigmaco.com

Not Pictured:

Mitchell Rona, Executive Vice President – MR1@sigmaco.com
Stuart Box, Vice President of Engineering – SB2@sigmaco.com
Tom Whittington, Sales Manager – TWhittington@sigmaco.com
Jeremy Allen, Southwest Regional Sales Manager – JAllen@sigmaco.com

By Mitchell Rona, Executive Vice President

Recently, US-China trade conflicts have resulted in a new tariffs being imposed on a wider number of goods manufactured in China, as well as a rise in existing tariffs. American companies and consumers (the importers) are paying the price for this battle of the worlds two largest economies; the duty does not fall on Chinese companies (the exporters). The “extra costs” are being sliced and diced up and down the entire supply chain hurting most businesses, consumers, and, many argue, the entire economy as a whole.

From the import side, American companies with long standing business interests in China are experiencing considerable stress and uncertainty. Prudent business professionals are examining this unsettled landscape and considering what action to take and how to manage our way forward.

For many, many products, the adage still applies: “There is no replacement for China but China.”

… Read More >