Mag Instrument’s (Maglite®) only factory in Southern California is, and always has been. Our entire manufacturing workforce – from product-development engineers to automation specialists to machinists — reports to work there, as it always has. However, we can’t make every part, component, and accessory under our roof. When we have to go outside, our strong preference is to procure such parts from a maker that is not only domestic but, if possible, local.
But in this age of trade globalization, it is not always practical for the manufacturer of any product of any complexity to procure all the needed parts and components domestically. In addition to price, there are other and often far more important considerations, like consistent quality and stability in the supply chain. We have even faced situations where no potential domestic supplier was interested in bidding on a part- or component-supply contract. And so it is necessary, from time to time, to go overseas for a part or component, as much as we do not like to do that.
So when we say we are “A U.S. Manufacturer” whose flashlights are “Built In America,” we do not mean that no part, component, or accessory of one of our flashlights is ever imported. What we DO mean is that our flashlights are, and always have been, invented, designed, and engineered in America and assembled in and shipped from our American factory where all of the body parts and most of the other parts are made, even if some parts, components, and accessories may need to be sourced from an overseas supplier. And when our product includes some foreign content, we duly note that on the package labeling.
In this way, we strive to save as many American jobs as possible by keeping our manufacturing as American as it can be and still yield a reliable supply of a product of the quality our consumers demand at a price they will accept.