Manufacturing may be experiencing a rebound, but that doesn't mean that it's easy to manufacture your products in the US. Just ask Marvin Weinberger. His Kickstarter campaign raised $123,310 from 1,302 people to help fund production of a multipurpose tool, Lil Trucker, which is perfect for surviving the zombie apocalypse. That's where the fairytale ended and the harsh reality of small-scale manufacturing began.
According to Diane Mastrull for Philly.com: "The Kickstarter total was nearly five times the $25,000 goal, rendering serial entrepreneur Weinberger 'blown away' and giddy about the sales prospects for his all-in-one gadget once it hit the retail market.
Until, that is, he got a taste of the manufacturing landscape when it comes to serving startups with relatively small orders.
'This has been a perennial problem for most startups in America,' said Weinberger, 62, who did not want to compromise on his commitment to make the tool in the United States. 'Most of the manufacturers who survived have tended to hunker down and become very specialized, and aren’t looking to participate in projects where the upside is speculative.'"