Built in the USA
“Made In Market: Why building what we sell, where we sell it, matters.”
Since the first Therm-a-Rest® self-inflating air pad was created fifty years ago, a central pillar of our ethos has been to make what we sell.
Between our company-owned manufacturing facilities in Seattle, WA, Reno NV and Cork, Ireland, the vast majority of our sales world-wide come from products that have been built by the hearts, minds and hands of Therm-a-Rest employees. In business-speak, this is called vertical integration and we’re committed to it because it results in huge benefits when it comes to innovation, quality, stewardship and service.
Innovation and Quality
First, having production and innovation under one roof, allows us to develop new technologies and prototypes quickly, without waiting for a shipment from a factory an ocean away. In fact, many of our innovative products are built with machines and tools we designed and refined in parallel with product development; a unique benefit that cannot be overstated.
Our commitment to make what we sell also allows us to maintain far greater quality control than could ever be achieved when someone else is building your product. If we see an issue, we walk out onto the floor and fix it. It’s that simple. Nobody cares more about our products than us, and there simply is no greater way to ensure they meet our high standards and serve you well, than to build them ourselves.
Stewardship
Another one of our pillars is to use the best and most sustainable materials and practices possible. Being in control of our manufacturing, from start to finish, gives us full transparency and responsibility to affect how we do things, what materials we choose, and who we got those materials from.
“I'm looking for ways to take all of our 50 years of knowledge and experience of really knowing how things are made, and leveraging that into next generation materials, more efficient processes, being a responsible steward of energy, wastewater and material choices so that as a manufacturer, we can tread more lightly on the environment and we can be a really proud and responsible steward of all that goes into our products,” says Paul Connolly, President of Therm-a-Rest’s parent company, Cascade Designs, Ltd.
However, from a materials perspective, we face major challenges since the broader market has driven entire industries offshore. This sometimes leaves us without domestic options that meet our quality and environmental standards, supply demands or there may simply by no domestic choices at all. The solution to maintaining our standards in such situations can be importing materials into our in-market production facilities. That’s while you’ll often see “Made in the U.S.A. of U.S. and Imported Materials” on our U.S.-manufactured products, providing you transparency into the manufacturing and sourcing of our products in all situations.
In addition, we operate our European hub of manufacturing in Midleton, Ireland. Just as in the U.S., this company-owned facility allows us to maintain the utmost quality control and standards for the products we sell into the EU and reducing shipping times to market.
A great collateral benefit of regional sourcing and manufacturing is reducing our global carbon footprint. The localized approach eliminates redundant shipping needs of raw goods and reduces the distance finished products need to travel. That’s not just smart business; that’s the right thing to do for the planet.
Service
Finally, in-market production allows us to offer you the best customer and dealer service possible. When you call us, you talk to someone who knows our products inside and out and is motivated to ensure your complete satisfaction. Repairs are made on-site, often by people who have experience making our products from scratch. Each repair is made with the same tools, technology and raw materials that go into making our products every day. That kind of service, combined with a limited lifetime warranty, means Therm-a-Rest products provide lasting comfort and peace-of-mind.
The choice to keep as much of our production in-house as possible is an intentional one that we have been passionate about since we first started back in 1972. When your goal is to provide the most reliable and innovative outdoor comfort products available, there simply is no better way.