12/29/2023 0 Comments Weather tech like floor matsThey didn't contain dirt and weren't easy to clean. WeatherTech's story starts in 1989 when MacNeil, then a vice president of sales for auto high-performance outfit AMG, now a unit of Mercedes-Benz, became fed up with the quality of car floor mats. And by that measure, he got there relatively quickly. The larger point, he says, is that he counts WeatherTech among America's world class brands - names such as Ford or Sub-Zero - that he says are known for quality. MacNeil seems at peace with the mixed message. Photographs of the racing Porsche that the company sponsors - and that is driven by MacNeil's son - hang on the walls. A BMW crossover sits on the floor a few feet away to show off the floor mats. A vintage Aston Martin is center stage with a few famous foreign motorcycles. Indeed, for all the talk of "Made in America" goods, you wouldn't exactly figure out the companies' devotion walking into the attached store. That leaves others - though he won't single them out by name - as nations in which he won't deal. "If you buy 10 from me, and I buy 10 from you, God bless," he says. He says he supports trade with countries that have reciprocal trade policies. market make a point of any American plants they have, he adds. The "Made in America" pitch has shown up in advertising in a big way for about four years, says Scott Paul, president of the alliance. A survey by the Alliance for American Manufacturing found four out of five voters favor spending their state and federal tax dollars on American-made goods whenever possible. MacNeil isn't alone in sensing the country's preference for products made in the USA. "I made them send me the American-made ones, even though they cost more," he says. Some hand-operated forklifts turned out to be imports."I blew a gasket," he recalls, and required American-made parts to be substituted. While inspecting a factory under construction about four years ago, he spied foreign-made parts in some of the piping.When he was building a new factory, he stipulated that the builders only use American-made construction equipment.He's pretty intense about the Buy America thing: Beyond WeatherTech-branded mats, the company does private-label work for eight automakers, including Kia and Volkswagen. To produce the molds, MacNeil says he employs his own tool-and-die makers. Watch Video: Weathertech, "Made in America"Įvery new car model requires new molds for floor mats that fit - creating an expanding list that's up to 18,000 part numbers. Workers - in uniforms with an American flag on the sleeve - handle much of the trimming and packing. WeatherTech's concave mats fit the full foot well of a car, laser measured to fit the space exactly, in a way that keeps moisture and mud from spilling onto the carpet.įloor mats may sound like a low-tech product, but a walk around the plant reveals a high-tech manufacturing process that is heavily robotic. They make rubber floor mats that MacNeil considers a vast improvement over the flimsy mats that inspired him to try to create something better. No doubt about it, MacNeil is providing jobs about 950 of them spread over six plants in Chicago suburbs. All I was trying to do was raise awareness about buying American-made products." "They like to support people who are patriotic in providing jobs for their fellow Americans. "This is what resonates with my fellow Americans," he says. While the ad - in a telecast where just the 30 seconds of airtime averaged $4 million - took a huge dent out of his $40 million annual advertising budget, he says it was just a matter of good business. Through the ad, MacNeil was playing in the big leagues normally reserved for the likes of Coca-Cola, General Motors and Anheuser-Busch InBev. Earlier this month, the company he founded plunked down millions for a 30-second Super Bowl commercial that played down his WeatherTech mats while playing up how a business still can profitably make things in the USA. Or at least resting your muddy boots on them.Īs Americans follow the medal count at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, MacNeil has put "Made in the USA" at the center of the marketing for his MacNeil Automotive Products, one of the country's leading makers of all-weather floor mats and other vehicle accessories. At a time when flag waving couldn't be more in fashion, David MacNeil knows a thing or two about standing up for American products. View Gallery: WeatherTech is American madeīOLINGBROOK, Ill.
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