Are all Allen Edmonds Uppers Made in the Dominican Republic?

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by entrero

Doc, these PA were on teh bay.

Yeah, there was a thread here with the same problem. Folks told the poster to polish it under ... but that's not something polish will fix.

A shame. I hate to see this.

 

[Axel Ferguson]

Will that not just completely tear and crack in the creases? That looks awful.

 

[Xiaogou]

Damn. I buy AE and Alden to support American businesses. Made in America still means something to me.

 

[clee1982]

Originally Posted by deveandepot1

Yeah, I agree 100%.
I do find it strange that they can sell them as "Made in USA".

this is the age of globalization, something is made somewhere else somehow..., look at any American car for that matter too...

though, upper is indeed quite significant portion I suppose.

 

[clee1982]

Originally Posted by upnorth

I guess many would be more comfortable with cheap foreign labor working on American soil than a complete offshoring of certain processes just to say it is 100% american made.

oh well

 

[clee1982]

Originally Posted by pebblegrain

I would like to know the answer.

"Made in the USA" doesn't mean better quality. It just means it was - guess what? - made in the USA.

If it is claimed to be Made in the USA and it isn't, that's a big ******* issue. It's called a lie

And I don't mean some legal technical offshoring import/export regulatory definition of Made in the USA.

well, what percentage means made in the US?

 

[Xiaogou]

Since AE is in Wisconsin, maybe the workers will unionize.

 

[Nick V.]

Sometimes I read the posts on this forum and it boggles my mind.....
Someone will make an ill informed comment without bothering to research the facts and others jump in with their opinions. Even less informed.

In October 2010 then Governor Doyle appearing at the Allen Edmonds factory in Port Washington announced "$1.5 million in assistance for Allen Edmonds Shoe Corporation to expand and create up to 200 new jobs". Part of his platform was "high quality manufacturing". Also mentioned was A/E's commitment to "expand it's operations here in Wisconsin".

The deal involved "a $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant Economic Development (CDBG-ED) loan to A/E to invest in it's $3 million expansion project". Also "The companies expansion project will increase production at the Port. Wash. manufacturing plant".

Further, "The growth will include expansions of the warehouse and the hand-sewn and re-craft lines, a new custom line, and upgrades to the existing plant and machinery and equipment, along with training new and existing employees on new production and distributing processes".

A/E is committed to growing jobs in Wisconsin rather than shipping jobs overseas. They are investing millions doing so. They produce a quality product at a very fair price, U.S. made.

Think that's easy in our present economic environment?

 

[deveandepot1]

Originally Posted by clee1982

though, upper is indeed quite significant portion I suppose.

I would assume it is the most expensive part too.

 

[deveandepot1]

Originally Posted by Nick V.

Sometimes I read the posts on this forum and it boggles my mind.....
Someone will make an ill informed comment without bothering to research the facts and others jump in with their opinions. Even less informed.

In October 2010 then Governor Doyle appearing at the Allen Edmonds factory in Port Washington announced "$1.5 million in assistance for Allen Edmonds Shoe Corporation to expand and create up to 200 new jobs". Part of his platform was "high quality manufacturing". Also mentioned was A/E's commitment to "expand it's operations here in Wisconsin".

The deal involved "a $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant Economic Development (CDBG-ED) loan to A/E to invest in it's $3 million expansion project". Also "The companies expansion project will increase production at the Port. Wash. manufacturing plant".

Further, "The growth will include expansions of the warehouse and the hand-sewn and re-craft lines, a new custom line, and upgrades to the existing plant and machinery and equipment, along with training new and existing employees on new production and distributing processes".

A/E is committed to growing jobs in Wisconsin rather than shipping jobs overseas. They are investing millions doing so. They produce a quality product at a very fair price, U.S. made.

Think that's easy in our present economic environment?



Missed this. Good to hear.
So if you want 100% USA made shoes avoid the Allen Edmonds from 2007-2011?

 

[Eustace]

Originally Posted by Nick V.

Sometimes I read the posts on this forum and it boggles my mind.....
Someone will make an ill informed comment without bothering to research the facts and others jump in with their opinions. Even less informed.

In October 2010 then Governor Doyle appearing at the Allen Edmonds factory in Port Washington announced "$1.5 million in assistance for Allen Edmonds Shoe Corporation to expand and create up to 200 new jobs". Part of his platform was "high quality manufacturing". Also mentioned was A/E's commitment to "expand it's operations here in Wisconsin".

The deal involved "a $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant Economic Development (CDBG-ED) loan to A/E to invest in it's $3 million expansion project". Also "The companies expansion project will increase production at the Port. Wash. manufacturing plant".

Further, "The growth will include expansions of the warehouse and the hand-sewn and re-craft lines, a new custom line, and upgrades to the existing plant and machinery and equipment, along with training new and existing employees on new production and distributing processes".

A/E is committed to growing jobs in Wisconsin rather than shipping jobs overseas. They are investing millions doing so. They produce a quality product at a very fair price, U.S. made.

Think that's easy in our present economic environment?




Whoa Nick. Let's not get out of control with the whole "facts" thing. Keep it speculative.

 

[DocHolliday]

"New production processes," eh? Like spray-on finishes?

As I said, I wish them the best, and I applaud any efforts to expand their U.S. manufacturing.

 

[Nick V.]

Originally Posted by Eustace

Whoa Nick. Let's not get out of control with the whole "facts" thing. Keep it speculative.

Dis-prove me. We'll go from there. I got lot's more.

 

[senoreme]

Made in the USA is also important to me. I'd really like to know whether it is accurate that AE is haing the shoes partially made in the Dominican Republic. That changes every thing.

 

[PaulGrangaardCR]

Gentlemen -

Thanks for your feedback. We do indeed have duplicative capabilities at the beginning of the shoemaking process in Wisconsin and, since 2006, in the Dominican Republic. Both plants are 100% owned and managed closely by us, staffed by our employees. If you watch our YouTube Plant Tour video (available on our website home page), the part of the Goodyear welt process that's also done in the DR is the cutting of the upper leathers, sewing of those pieces together and "hanging" of the lining. The resulting work-in-process looks like a flattened baseball cap with a large hole in the top and no sewn seams around the brim or the bottom of the cap.

The lining and the unfinished upper are attached together and to the bottom of the shoe in the lasting and welting processes, which are all done in Wisconsin. The footbed (inside bottom) leather cutting and the welt taping for the sides and bottoms of the shoes are done 100% in Port Washington, as is the rest of the production process -- the shaping of the loose uppers in preparation for lasting, insertion of toeboxes and heel counters, lasting, attaching the footbed, welting, hot corking, sewing on the sole, nailing and gluing on the heel base, attaching the heel "toplift", trimming all the edges, wheeling, cutting, trimming and attaching the sock liner (when used), and all the stages of finishing. How the duplicated work on the uppers gets distributed between the two plants depends on order flows from week to week.

The increase in demand for our shoes has led us to hire more people in both plants on all functions, which is good for both local economies. We're proud to be building economic vitality in two places that need it in the Western Hemisphere, one right here in Wisconsin and one a few hundred miles off the shore of Florida. History buffs might see this as our micro version of the Monroe Doctrine or maybe a localized DR Marshall Plan.

This formula works for us and for our U.S. employment growth, which is where the majority of our new hires are. Keeping our prices lower than any other fully Goodyear welted shoe manufacturer is an important part of our AE value proposition. It also allows us to spread workload effectively between the two locations so that we keep our delivery times as short as possible, a couple of days in many instances. Delivery to major wholesale accounts with that kind of flexibility is a major competitive advantage versus the Asian shoe importers who send shoes by ocean vessel in containerloads. Keeping our prices under control keeps us accessible for more and more customers with family budgets.

Thanks for the question and the interest. I hope the hundreds (and growing) of people we have in our Port Washington facitilities will continue to have your support.

Best wishes,
Paul