Another Made In America Home Being Built in Michigan

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The folks at Ann Arbor Builders started building their Made in America home on this lot on a gorgeous blue sky day, back on the 27th of April, 2012.  We cannot wait to see the finished product!  For more than 40 years, Ann Arbor Builders has been building some of the most beautiful and environmentally responsible homes in the Ann Arbor area. They are committed to building homes with American-made products.

Our Made in America Commitment

In October 2011, The Boston Consulting Group confirmed that if every builder in the U.S. used just 5% more American-made products, they would create 220,000 jobs.  We decided to play our part.

We began by making a list of all the materials it takes to build a home, and we found that most were already produced in the U.S.  We turned to our suppliers to help us find substitutes where they weren’t.  Enthusiastically, they did.
Take, for example, the first thing people see on a building site: silt fencing for erosion control during construction. When we found that we were using imported silt fencing, we asked our erosion control subcontractor to find an American-made product.  They did – and it’s made right here in Michigan.We also found that some products made by global companies such as Kohler, for example, are manufactured in multiple locations and that Kohler and some other companies allow contractors to specify American-made materials when ordering.

The products we now use are made in 31 states, and many are made in Michigan.

The only products we can’t find made in America are recessed lighting and microwaves, and that’s because none are produced in America. Otherwise, our homes are as close to 100% American-made as they can possibly be.  And we’re proud to play a small part in helping put American workers back to work.

Got A Project?  Nail It With American Made Nails!

Below is the team at Maze Nails, a Peru, Illinois company and one of the last manufacturers of American-made nails. Says company president Roelif Loveland, “They work hard every day and appreciate it when people specify Maze nails.”

When you need nails for your next project, find Maze Nails in the Ann Arbor area at Fingerle Lumber or locate a dealer near you.  These American workers, thank you!

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What Determines If A Product Is Made in America?

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), no law requires most products labeled “Made in USA” to have any disclosure about the amount of U.S.-made content.  The FTC requires disclosure of U.S. content only on automobiles, textiles, wool, and fur products.

Related article: What does Made in USA Mean?

A product claiming to be made in the U.S., according to the FTC, must be “all or virtually all” made in the United States or in U.S. territories and possessions, and the FTC defines “all or virtually all” as meaning “all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin, and the product’s final assembly or processing must take place in the U.S.”

It gives the following example: “A company manufactures propane barbecue grills at a plant in Nevada. The product’s major components include the gas valve, burner, and aluminum housing, each of which is made in the U.S. The grill’s knobs and tubing are imported from Mexico. An unqualified Made in USA claim is not likely to be deceptive because the knobs and tubing make up a negligible portion of the product’s total manufacturing costs and are insignificant parts of the final product.”

 

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