TEWKSBURY, MA - December 12, 2007 - Massachusetts-based ECRM today reconfirmed their stand as a proud and successful American-based manufacturer. The company, which manufactures 100% of their imagesetter and platesetter equipment at their Tewksbury headquarters, recently celebrated its 38th anniversary of U.S. manufacturing. Even the polyester CTP product line of Esko Production A/S, acquired in May of 2006 and formally produced in Denmark, has been assimilated into the American headquarters.
According to the company, ECRM exports 75% of all their manufactured products to over 63 countries worldwide, with sales divided evenly between newspapers and commercial printing markets. For the record, U.S. technology product imports exceeded exports for the first time in 2002 starting a trend that left a $38.3 billion trade deficit in 2006 after reaching a high of $44.4 billion in 2005. For more information, go to www.ecrm.com.
Frank Romano Quote and Article
"I remember when ECRM was founded in 1969 by a team of MIT professors," notes Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus, RIT "Their products have always benefitted the printing industry and those products have always been made in America-and used around the world. Thanks ECRM."
Frank published an online article last week in which he stated, "The U.S. manufacturing base is slowly dwindling. More than half of the manufactured goods that Americans buy are now made abroad, up from 31 percent in 1987. That means that the tags, labels, boxes, instructions, and other packaging materials are produced overseas. It is the hidden volume of print that just disappeared from the American revenue stream." To read his article in full, go to http://members.whattheythink.com/frank/frank037.cfm.
Rick Black Quote
"I am a firm believer that you don't have to manufacture in India, Central Europe or China to be competitive in the marketplace," noted ECRM President and CEO Rick Black. "ECRM's strength lies in manufacturing and engineering. I like to say, 'we compete by engineering.' We have been able to design and manufacture machines in the U.S., and come to market with a very competitively priced product and still be profitable.
"The trick is not done by buying cheap container loads from some offshore manufacturer. It is competent engineering, and good supply-chain management combined with the support of trusted vendor partners that has made us successful for the last 20 years. We have been able to compete very well using the 'Made in America' label, and we decided we could do the same thing when we integrated the Esko poly CTP line."
Dave Zwang Quote
"In today's international graphic arts marketplace, where a product is made is not as important as the quality that goes in and how well it's supported," notes international renowned industry consultant David Zwang. "ECRM's history as a respected and successful manufacturer is a testament to the company's dedication to excellence, reliability, and their high level of customer service."