The daily threats and potential impacts of tariffs on the U.S. toy industry are prompting new moves to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity.
The company behind Roseart, Shimmer’N Sparkle, Cra-Z-Slimy, Softee Fourd and Kodak Puzzles, New Jersey-based Cra-Z-Art plans to increase its manufacturing capacity by 50% to 1.5 million square feet. The move comes after an expansion about four years ago, including the opening of a brand new facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Cra-Z-Art also owns the country’s largest pencil factory in Lewisburg, Tennessee.
“We are taking decisive actions to expand and invest in U.S. manufacturing, based on the current economic environment,” said Lawrence Rosen, chairman of Cra-Z-Art. “We are fortunate to have the infrastructure and capabilities to quickly increase production of toys and schools and manufacturing space in the United States. By allowing us to make our products faster and more cost-effective and ultimately pass on savings to our valuable consumers, this will greatly benefit our retail partners. It also benefits the local economy where our factories are.”
In an interview New York PostRosen said the company has shipped equipment and molds from China to the U.S. in recent months, and Cra-Z-Art has the potential to produce products for other small and medium-sized companies in the U.S. Cra-Z-Art tells Toy Book Its Florida facility includes on-site injection and blow molding functions, including liquid processing.
A mysterious part of the tariff puzzle involves the real level of creation in the United States when production retrains are being produced.
The U.S. labor costs are high, and many markets lack the available labor force, which means bringing most of the output back to the U.S. will be automated. The end result is a labor force composed of robots, not a job that pays livable wages for American workers.
American-made post: CRA-Z-ART expands U.S. manufacturing to deal with Trump’s tariffs, which was first seen in the toy book.
