Made in the USA?

摘要

Determining the country of origin of valves in today's market can be compared to determining the pedigree of a mongrel. First of all, through acquisitions and mergers, large, multi-national corporate "families" own many familiar brand names that used to compete in the marketplace. Internationally owned companies are now producing valves with traditional "domestic" names, and in many more cases, the companies with traditional "domestic" names are producing valves and/or valve parts in plants that they either completely or partially own in countries outside the borders of United States. While tracing the ownership and design control of the valves in our markets is confusing, trying to determine the actual country of origin for these products can be a daunting task indeed. There are some legal rules that can be applied to make determining the country of origin of valves relatively clear and simple. The reason for doing so, however, is more evasive. Other than those instances where valves are supplied for specific government projects, what is the significance of knowing the country of origin of valves? There are other factors that are more germane to determining the valve manufacturer's role in insuring the quality of the products they sell. With so many companies - foreign, domestic, or some hybrid - bringing valve products and services to this, the largest industrial market in the world, one would naturally expect the picture to be somewhat cloudy. We will review the most important laws and regulations and discuss an example of how one manufacturer brings its products to market and applies those laws and regulations. Finally, we will present a methodology for clarifying this issue going forward.