Finding a U.S. Manufacturer to Make Your Product Idea
I have an idea for a new luggage design for children. I have searched for a manufacturer, but it seems all roads lead to China. I desperately want to make it in America, ideally in L.A. Do you have any ideas on how I might find a producer here? – M.C., Los Angeles 
Despite popular perception, the United States is still the world’s largest manufacturing economy, producing 22% of the world’s manufactured products, according to the National Association of Manufacturers, a Washington, D.C.-based trade and lobbying group. China comes in second, at 13%, and Japan is third, at 11%, says Erin Streeter, the group’s assistant vice-president for communications.
The difficulty that most startup entrepreneurs face is finding a manufacturer that will take a chance on a brand-new product with small production runs. This is true regardless of whether you choose a local manufacturer or outsource production overseas, says Ralph Biedermann, president of the MRB Group, a manufacturing consultancy based in Chicago. Read full story:
