Episode 89
You Can’t Sell the Product — You Have to Sell Made in USA
Why Automation and Branding are The Only Way Domestic Textile Manufacturers Can Compete with Overseas Production.
About This Episode
Competing with overseas manufacturing has forced U.S. textile companies to rethink how they operate.
In this episode, Mitch Cahn of Unionwear explains how his company survived decades of offshoring by focusing on automation, lean manufacturing, and selling the strategic value of the Made in USA label to B2B customers.
The conversation covers pricing strategy, production efficiency, automation in sewn goods, and how domestic manufacturers compete in a market still dominated by imports.
Key Discussion Takeaways & Themes
- ✓Selling Made in USA Instead of Cheap Labor: How Unionwear built a multi-million-dollar headwear business through decades of aggressive Asian offshoring.
- ✓Rapid Turnaround as the True Moat: Beating overseas competitors by delivering custom embroidered apparel in 5–7 days instead of 8–12 weeks.
- ✓Government & Union Contracting: Mastering domestic procurement preferences, military headwear specs, and institutional contracts.
- ✓Lean Automation on the Floor: Investing in computerized sewing and cutting machines to maximize domestic worker productivity.
Featured Guest
Mitch Cahn
President · Unionwear
Recorded Feb 11 2026
U.S. Manufacturing Intelligence
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