Page 10 - Blade (January 2019)

UNSHEATHED | BY STEVE SHACKLEFORD

MADE-IN-AMERICACA
M A D E- I N - A M E R I

FORCE
FO R C E

uch has been written and reported on all fronts—pro and

con—about the import tariffs instituted by the adminis-
Mtration of President Donald Trump. At the recent BLADE
Show West (see page 34), Mike Vellekamp, headman of V Nives, pre-

dicted the tariffs are going to result in a “shift” in the factory knife
market that will create a new “made-in-America force.”
Here’s how he sees it going down.
Manufacturers in Asia, especially China, have been able to make
better inexpensive knives than U.S. manufacturers for years now due
in no small part to low labor, advertising and other costs. Largely as a
result, Chinese manufacturers have dominated the market for “price-
point” or inexpensive knives in America.

However, as a result of the tariffs, Mike opined, in order to main-
tain profits the Chinese will be forced to make more-labor-intensive

knives and charge more for them in the USA. The Chinese could
continue to make knives in the same way they have been for export

to America, but if they do their profits will decrease due to the tariff s.
And the likelihood of the Chinese opting to make less money, the
argument goes, is basically nil. Consequently, in Mike’s scenario U.S.

manufacturers will start making price-point knives to fill the niche
the Chinese manufacturers will be forced to abandon.
According to Mike, U.S. knife companies will be more able to
make price-point knives and/or have them made domestically be-
cause they will not have to pass along to consumers the added costs
of shipping and importing and getting the knives through U.S. Cus-
toms, among other things, that they do now by having their knives At BLADE Show West, Mike Vellekamp of V Nives (vnives.com) holds
made off shore. two of his latest models: the C.R.A.B. (Cut-Rescue-Assist-Break), the
Of course, several things must happen in the domestic knife in- BLADE Magazine 2018 Most Innovative Imported Design, in a new
dustry for Mike’s scenario to occur, but he indicated he sees those orange handle, and the company’s new Deplorable folder designed by
Jerry Hossom. (For more on BLADE Show West, see page 34.)
things happening.
“If someone wants to make something in America and compete,
they can do so as long as they automate and capitalize on some of our soon—maybe never—plus the fact that Chinese manufacturers
technological resources,” he said. “This will encourage the market for are simply too good at making price-point knives, and will fi nd

U.S. manufacturing and create a lot more jobs in the process. a way to continue to maintain their dominance in that segment
“It’s going to make more sense to make knives in the U.S., especial- of the U.S. market.
ly as metal-injection-molding technology takes off better and with Still, Mike said the new realities that will occur due to the tariff s

some of the 3D printing stuff we’re doing,” he noted. “We’ve got the appear to be bringing some American manufacturers around to his
technology, we’ve already got all the materials, we’ve just got to get way of thinking.

the interest. We need to have the confidence of both the consumer “I think U.S. knife manufacturers are going to do just what I’m
and the manufacturer so they’re working together to create a made- talking about,” he said. “I’m not positive and I won’t name names, but

in-America force. That’s what we need to be again. We’ve always had the ones I’ve talked to kind of agree with me that the U.S.-made knife
that, we’ve always been the pioneers of basically all industry, and we needs to be the price-point type.”

need to have that confidence again and quit being just ‘buy and sell.’ Will that need turn into a real shift in the factory knife market?
We need to start making stuff again.” Stay tuned for further developments.

Two high-ranking industry officials I spoke to whose com-

panies import knives from Asia expressed doubt that Mike’s To read about the latest knives, knife news, blogs and more, visit

scenario will happen. They said they don’t see American knife blademag.com.
manufacturing reaching the point Mike foresees any time

10 BLADE JANUARY 2019