Monday, July 24, 2017

Summer. Brought to you by metal stampers.

Ahhhh. June 21st through September 20th; the three months that make up summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a time when things heat up and a brand new season of leisurely outdoor activities presents itself.

Yep. Here at Feed Lease, we know that summer is all about good times.

It’s also a time, though, when things tend to slow down a bit in the metal stamping industry.

And that’s interesting because, well, summer wouldn’t be summer without metal stampers.

Imagine the following scenario:

It’s a late warm August afternoon and your family has just arrived at an RV site to begin your summer vacation. The kids are released from the RV, tearing out into the woods like wild animals. You walk around to the back of the RV to check on your aluminum fishing boat, knowing full well it made the journey just fine. Like it always does.

Your kids are ready to hop in the boat and get right out onto the lake to do some fishing. “Tomorrow,” you respond, then ask them to help get things set up for dinner. They are cooperative at first, placing silverware on the table in the RV and setting up your favorite kettle style charcoal grill they make fun of you for continuing to use. But they are soon distracted again.

It isn’t long before a group of kids come rolling along in a golf cart and lure your kids away to go play the washer toss game. It’s okay though because it’s only the next site over and if you’re being really honest, their particular brand of “help” has ceased being terribly helpful. Plus, you need some down time to discuss things with the spouse and your brother Larry. (Yep. Seems “Uncle Larry” comes on every trip.)

Once evening rolls in, you’ve all finished eating and are sitting around the big fire your brother built. The kids are sleepy after their long journey; which was facilitated by two hours of exhaustive play in the above ground pool at home before you left. (While you mowed the lawn.) And now you’re ready to settle in and start your vacation. You’ve got a tentative plan in place. Four or five days out in the woods and on the lake to get back to nature, finished off by two days at Cedar Point, like you promised the kids. And Uncle Larry.

Sounds pretty nice, right?

But how would this same scenario look without the metal stamping industry?

Here’s how it would go down.

      First of all, the kids would have to exhaust themselves in a boggy pond because without the metal structural frame or connectors, there could be no above ground pool.

      And forget about the silverware at dinner, you’ll have to use plastic. Yeah, you could get by without the barbecue tools, but what about the barbecue? Without metal stamping, there’s no barbecue. Kettle or otherwise. No burgers and franks tonight. Unless you like them raw.

      So how about some fish then? You better start gathering sticks to make spears because no matter how killer your fishing poles are, without the reels made by metal stampers, they’ll be more nothing more than glorified pool cues.

      Furthermore, you’re going to have to spear those bottom-feeders in the boggy pond because the lake is no longer a possibility. That’s right. The aluminum boat, its seats, parts of its motor, the trailer it rode on and the trailer hitch to which the trailer was connected are all made possible by the metal stamping industry. So are the filleting knives, so even if you catch a fish, good luck cleaning it. 

      Actually, while you’re gathering sticks, you might as well just plan to gather a whole bunch more. Then get some tarps or canvas and get ready to call your backyard the campsite because here’s the kicker. Without metal stamping, there’d be no RV. There’d also be no golf carts, no riding lawn mowers and - worst of all - no washer toss game.

      Oh, and Cedar Point fails to exist.

Without the metal stamping industry, it’ll be just you and your family, sitting on your far-too-long lawn, staring into Uncle Larry’s fire near that mosquito ridden bog, waiting until the sun goes down so you can crawl into your canvas tents, hungry and with nothing to look forward to.

Okay. It might not be that grim. But summer would definitely be a whole lot different without all of the products made by the machines of the metal stamping industry. Especially those made right here in the good ole U.S. of A.

So remember that sticking with “Made in the U.S.A.” keeps American manufacturing alive and well during the slower summer months.

And it keeps you cruising in your RV, fishing in your aluminum fishing boat and, most importantly, a superstar at the washer toss game.


Priorities.