MarCum: Why “Made in the USA” Matters to Anglers
OutdoorHub 08.02.11
Minneapolis, MN – It’s one thing to hear the words: “Made in the U.S.A.” Quite another to watch, as a core of skilled American workers design, build, assemble, test for quality and consistency, and then package MarCum and ShowDown electronics products, and all within the walls of a Heartland-based company.
For Minnesota’s Versa Electronics, the choice to preserve hometown manufacturing has never wavered. Throughout the company’s half-century tradition of excellence, putting premium quality electronics on the shelves has not only been the goal, it’s simply the way they’ve always done business. They’ll also tell you that employing American workers in an American factory is the only way to get things done right. Thanks to this consistently high product quality, as well as “intensive-care” levels of service and value, Versa has retained many of its original customers to this day, nearly 50 years after the company’s foundation.
With deep roots in high-tech electronics manufacturing, Versa designs and produces circuit boards and other core electronics devices within an array of industries, beyond sonar and underwater video cameras for the sportfishing market. As a foremost electronics manufacturer in the medical field, Versa engineers some of the top diagnostic instrumentation in this technology driven industry. They have also become a leading supplier of products in the power and energy arena, including cutting-edge solutions in alternative energy. All of which leads to the question how, as a domestic producer, is Versa able to sustain profitability? While increasing competition from foreign markets puts pricing pressure on consumer products, Versa has developed systematic engineering, production, inventory and customer service standards that have preserved their competitiveness long-term. As other manufacturers have struggled to simultaneously maintain product quality and profitability, Versa has never faltered.
“It’s pretty amazing to see each MarCum product go from start to finish, all under one roof,” states National Sales Manager Steve Hanson. “We give a lot of tours of our production facility, and people are always fascinated to watch how the process of manufacturing a MarCum camera or ShowDown sonar unit really works. They can’t believe how tight our production standards really are; can’t believe the testing each unit goes through before it’s boxed up and shipped. To go from a collection of tiny circuits and component parts to a fully functioning MarCum, all in one American factory, we think that’s pretty special.”
Not only does this fully “in-house” production facility allow for systematic and meticulous attention to quality control, it also means that Versa is able to quickly turn an order into retail-ready product. An absence of overseas middlemen means fewer pitfalls and a more direct route from manufacturer to consumer.
This also means a straighter line of communication between the consumer and the factory. Indeed, besides a highly trained design and production staff 60 strong, Versa Electronics recently hired additional customer service personnel to better serve the needs of its consumers. The end result is an increasing number of MarCum and ShowDown devotees who buy with the confidence that their questions will be answered, and their products serviced by real live Americans.
“People have really taken note of Versa’s commitment to lasting quality and service,” Hanson continues. “Demand for MarCum and ShowDown products has more than doubled over the past year. We can’t wait to give our customers everything they expect from MarCum and ShowDown products.
“Of course, that they’re going to catch more and bigger fish goes without saying…”
About Marcum Technologies
Manufactured in the U.S.A. by Versa Electronics, MarCum Technologies offers the highest standards in flasher-sonar units and underwater camera systems available today. For more information and a 2011 MarCum catalog, contact Versa Electronics, 3943 Quebec Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55427. For customer service, please contact us at 888-778-1208 or email us at service@versae.com. Website is www.marcumtech.com.
