By Joe Reynolds
Nordost is an internationally recognized brand. We conduct business in over 60 countries around the world. But what I really take pride in, is the fact that since its inception in 1991, Nordost’s products have been designed, manufactured and assembled exclusively in the United States.
The New England area has a long tradition of manufacturing and innovation, and when it comes to research and development this region is renowned. Distinguished universities and state-of-the-art research facilities attract some of the best and brightest designers and engineers from around the world. I am confident that this company was truly shaped by the environment in which it was created. With such a wealth of resources in our own backyard, we have been able to build our reputation on innovative products and meticulous attention to detail and nuance throughout the production process.
From our unique process of precision FEP extrusion, to Micro Mono-Filament and Dual Mono-Filament technologies, to breakthroughs in vibration control and finally to creating our own patent pending connector– the new HOLO:PLUG, all of Nordost’s processes, technologies and products are developed and constructed right here in Massachusetts.
We are committed to making all of our products in the US for many reasons. Nordost has a wonderful network of local partners who can deliver merchandise such as packaging and machined parts quickly and efficiently. We can control our quality more scrupulously because it is produced nearby. We design all of our products in-house so that new models can be built and tweaked at a moment’s notice with our internal engineering team. But mostly, Nordost has a solid, dependable workforce that takes pride in the products they create, and we feel that as a privately held company we have a social responsibility to our local community and our employees that support us. Not only does this mean creating a pleasant working environment for our staff, but it also means making the decision to stay local even if the alternative may seem more cost effective.
In my opinion, a reason for the decline in manufacturing in North America is a rampant spread of short term thinking. Some publically traded companies are so preoccupied in their stock prices at the end of every quarter that they are forced to make rash decisions. While these decisions, such as outsourcing, may help the bottom line, they ultimately hurt their workforce as well as their local economy. Nordost is faced with the same decisions as these larger companies. Of course, we could source our cables (such as our HDMI cables) in Asia; however, we see the benefits of staying in America. Making our own cables means that we develop valuable knowledge and skills within our own company. As a result of this knowledge, we can produce high quality products today and will be able to continue to expand and push boundaries in the consumer electronics market in the future.
