Manufacturing, it’s a whole new ball game!!

March 22, 2013 – Orange County, California

In the past one hundred years or so, manufacturing in this country has been on quite a roller coaster ride. In the first part of the last century, manufacturing in this country dominated the employment ranks not only here, but everywhere in the world. As we all know, things can change in the blink of an eye. More and more, manufacturing was moved off shore, where at the time, costs were much lower and resources were plentiful as well. The U.S. became more of a service industry, and manufacturing almost became an afterthought. Boy, have times changed again. Over the past few years, more companies are bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.

In fact, the Big Three automakers have brought back thousands of jobs, updated old plants, and even built new ones to keep up with demand for their product. It seems that when we think of manufacturing, it brings up pictures of vast factories making cars, machine parts, and airplanes among the major things that come to mind.

Currently, small and medium size manufacturing companies are popping up all over the place. Take a look at all of the specialty distilled spirits popping up around the country. I believe there at least five or six new takes on vodka, and there are many new tequilas being produced, including a new tequila being developed by an Oscar winning actor. An area of California is now becoming a hotbed of new micro-breweries where they have decided to set up shop and experience the thrill of being an entrepreneur and running their own show.

In addition, people are doing all kinds of manufacturing from food and health items to electronics and just about everything you can imagine and then some. There are many elements in manufacturing insurance programs. One area that is essential in the aspect of insurance for manufacturing companies is for the company to secure OC product liability insurance. From a variety of things including product recalls to patent infringement, product manufacturers deal with many unique risks that many companies do not face. Manufacturing insurance, sometimes more accurately described as insurance for manufacturing or products liability insurance, provides protection for these usual risks, particularly when products manufactured by your company could cause harm to others. Beyond the obvious risks to your machinery or your stock being stolen or damaged by fire or water, manufacturing companies often face much more costly but subtle losses, such as their gross profit decreasing or, worse case, it coming to an end while their stolen or damaged items are being replaced.

Another unexpected expense could be some very high costs associated with fixing their machinery when it breaks down. More times than not, companies underestimate the time and money associated with ordering, transporting, assembling and commissioning the replacement machinery and the profits that are lost in the process. Many times, the interruption claims far outweigh the costs of replacing or fixing the equipment. Now I know how exciting it can be putting your dream in motion, working long hours on your business plan, finding the perfect place to start manufacturing your product, and developing ways to market the product and, hopefully, along the way, achieving success and the greatest degree of happiness you ever could imagine. I do hope that you will include insurance coverage as a vital part of your business to ensure that your business will be protected. Some of the industries that we are currently writing are: Furniture & Fixtures Manufacturing, Wood Products, Plastics Products Manufacturing, Industrial & Commercial Machinery, Electronic & Electrical Equipment, Medical Products, and many more.

Here are some of the many insurance plans PJO Insurance Brokerage currently offer: Pollution Coverage, Product Liability, Manufacturer’s E&O, and Contingent Business Income. Also, we offer International Property Coverage including Air Cargo and Ocean Cargo plus Product Recall including such coverages as Cost to Notify, Cost to Monitor, and Reputational Repair. When putting together your business plan, we would welcome an opportunity to show you which insurance coverage would best suit your particular area of manufacturing.