Even though the northern New Jersey area is one of the most expensive places in the world, and Unionwear has a well-compensated unionized workforce, we have managed to successfully stay in business since 1992. How? For starters, we embraced lean manufacturing (we discussed how in other blog posts.) But there are other reasons we thrive here as well.

In addition to embracing lean manufacturing, we have consistently had good relationships with local organizations and the community at large. We work closely with the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP). They have been an invaluable resource for us as we navigate through these challenging and ever-changing times. So before you decide to set up shop here, reach out to NJMEP.

Not only does Unionwear CEO, Mitch Cahn, sit on the board of directors for NJMEP, he has also served as Chairman of the Newark Workforce Development Board and a director of the Newark Regional Business Partnership. He is a champion of New Jersey manufacturing and continuously challenges the state to improve the business environment for manufacturing, given the quality of its workforce, its access to ports, and the existing general infrastructure. By maintaining a good relationship with the community, we are able to capitalize on opportunities that would not have been possible otherwise.

We maintain a good relationship with our union. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, our production pretty much ended and we were weeks, if not days, away from going out of business. So we reached out to our union and, within a matter of days, began manufacturing PPE, such as face shields and washable gowns, for first responders. We could not have capitalized on that opportunity without our union.

In order to improve efficiency and reduce costs, we often re-engineer our products to uncompromisingly keep design intent and desired utility, while reducing the labor steps.

Finally, being made in New Jersey means Made in USA. There are significant advantages to that as well, which we will discuss in future postings.

Read more about our custom made products and manufacturing practices HERE