Made In USA: Cra-Z-Art Expands U.S. Manufacturing in Response to Trump Tariffs

The daily threat and potential impact of tariffs on the U.S. toy industry is prompting new moves to bolster domestic manufacturing capacity.

New Jersey-based Cra-Z-Art, the company behind RoseArt, Shimmer ‘n Sparkle, Cra-Z-Slimy, Softee Dough, and Kodak Puzzles, plans to increase its manufacturing capacity by 50% to 1.5 million square feet. The move follows an expansion nearly four years ago, including the opening of an all-new facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Cra-Z-Art also owns the country’s largest pencil factory in Lewisburg, Tennessee.

“Based on the current economic climate, we are taking decisive action to expand and invest in American manufacturing,” says Lawrence Rosen, Chairman of Cra-Z-Art. “We are fortunate to have the infrastructure and capabilities in place to rapidly increase toy and school supply production as well as manufacturing space right here in the USA. This will greatly benefit our retail partners by allowing us to get products to market quicker and more cost-effectively, ultimately passing along the savings to our valued consumers. It also benefits the local economy where our factories are located.”

In an interview with the New York Post, Rosen said that the company has shipped equipment and molds from China to the U.S. in recent months and that Cra-Z-Art has the potential to manufacture products in the U.S. for other small- to mid-sized companies. Cra-Z-Art tells The Toy Book that its Florida facility includes on-site injection and blow molding capabilities, including liquid processing.

One mystery piece of the tariff puzzle involves the real level of job creation in the U.S. when the reshoring of production occurs.

Higher labor costs in the U.S. and a lack of available labor in many markets mean that much of the production brought back to the U.S. will be automated. The end result is a labor force comprised of robots rather than jobs paying a livable wage for American workers.