MarathonLS is Leading the Industry Towards 100% US Manufactured Lab Consumables
Manufacturers of automobiles, semiconductors, defense, and pharmaceuticals are embracing a new strategy as these industries are leading the resurgence of regaining some of the manufacturing output they were forced to relinquish to other countries during the past decade. Since the pandemic began, efforts to relocate manufacturing have accelerated within several US industries.
We recently wrote about how laboratories can overcome supply shortages by outsourcing laboratory supplies. In this blog we want to highlight one of the key criteria in the decision-making process when evaluating an outsourced supplier: the manufacturing location.
Several years of dependence on offshore factories has been overturned by delays, surging freight rates, and overwhelmed ports. Furthermore, challenges of obtaining raw material and products in a timely manner has convinced organizations to reevaluate how to manufacture their supply.
Why has Marathon made it our mission to commit to US manufacturing?
Mitigating the impact of geopolitical uncertainties with global supply chain
Over the last two years, US manufacturers have witnessed several disruptions within their operating environments that resulted in increased complexity, higher costs, and inefficiencies throughout their supply chains. External threats such as tariffs, global sanctions and disrupted access to suppliers have brought global supply chain practices to its knees and continue to remain at a heightened level of volatility. In addition, unforeseen military emergencies have affected several trade routes and key shipping channels which has resulted in increase costs of raw materials and logistics.
MarathonLS is confident that we can mitigate supply chain risks by localizing and reshoring parts of our manufacturing. We are committed to continuing to stabilize our supply chain to ensure that our customers do not face any disruptions to the critical projects and research that they are conducting inside of their labs.
More control over quality
At Marathon, quality product is standard for us. Over the years, we have built strong relationships with our offshore suppliers that have resulted in consistent quality across our portfolio. However, due to recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, maintaining such high standards has proven itself to be more difficult. In order to consistently meet our quality standard and quick turn-around, we know that we must bring manufacturing back to the US.
Not only will this allow us to have more control over the quality of our products, but also have stronger communication throughout our supply chain. Ease of communication will allow us to stop problems before they start. If there are quality control issues, we have the ability to see it first-hand rather than after it gets in the hands of our customers.
Shorter lead-times
When working with offshore manufacturers, there are certain aspects throughout production that are out of the supplier’s control; hold-ups at the port, transportation issues, high tariffs, surcharges and what seems like ever-present shortages. In turn, these can detrimentally impact the end user and disrupt or pause their work. When supporting an industry as pivotal as life sciences, this simply can not happen.
Transitioning manufacturing to the US will help eliminate these challenges while providing great benefits. When working with domestic manufacturing, there are fewer barriers to entry; culturally, logistically, and monetarily. There are no hold ups at the ports, there is less risk of staffing issues, if borders shut down, our supply chain will not be directly affected, and simply due to distance, products can be moved faster. We are confident that transitioning manufacturing back to the US will mitigate several disruptions throughout the supply chain, guiding us towards shorter lead times allowing us to focus on our customers’ critical needs.
Reduction in storage costs by eliminating the need to stockpile
It is evident that many of our customers, and members of other industries, have had to maintain significant inventory on hand to meet their needs in fear that they will run out of product due to supply chain issues and shortages. As we move manufacturing onshore, we can provide our customers with the confidence of a secure and steady supply chain. Having a reliable supply chain will alleviate the need to hold excess inventory, therefore, freeing up precious space and eliminating the need to pay for surplus warehousing.
In addition, transitioning our manufacturing state-side will eliminate many of our costs such as tariffs on imports and gas surcharges. This will allow us to offset some of our own expenses as manufacturing in the US is fundamentally more expensive than overseas. Along with optimizing procurement, transitioning to the US may positively impact our customer’s bottom line, too, as a reliable supply chain may reduce carrying costs of their own.
More to come…
Watch this space as we are in the process of unfolding an innovative program exclusively for our customers that will address some of the challenges we have highlighted above.
Why choose MarathonLS?
At the core, Marathon’s strategic mission to transition to US manufacturing is to ensure our customers can always rely on us for quality products, which are reliable and accessible so that their labs can continue to focus on innovation.
Contact MarathonLS, and let’s talk about how we can support your laboratory.