East Longmeadow, MASS-- Excel Dryer Inc. ships their products to 70 countries across the world. The materials and parts for their hand dryers are sourced domestically and then, manufactured, and assembled in East Longmeadow.
“We’re very proud of that,’ Vice President and COO William Gagnon said. “It certainly takes extra work to keep it that way, but we feel it’s worth it.”
Gagnon said they’re a family run business and the only hand dryer manufacturer still completely made in America.
“Going overseas was the easy road. Our competitors took that when it was available,” he said. “ A lot of people followed. We did not. We decided to look within and ask ourselves how can we make this more effectively and more efficiently with our own trained and capable workforce.”
Now, more than one million XLERATORs, the company’s most popular dryer, are installed in different buildings and venues around the world.
“We’re in the World Cup soccer arenas in South Africa. We just put a thousand hand dryers in the new Istanbul airport in turkey,” Gagnon said. “We’re used in places like Walmart and Target, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks.”
Gagnon said his family’s decision to go USA-made nearly 30 years ago is paying off now that President Trump has made it clear he’s open to heavier tariffs on trade partners across the globe.
“Many of our large customers are calling and asking, should we expect a tariff surcharge on your product, are you going to increase your price to us, what’s going on,” he said. “We are all very proud and happy to say, no you will not.”
Gagnon said he thinks the proposed tariffs will do exactly what the President says and promote American manufacturing, since he’s had to deal with other companies trying to knock off his products.
“We have a lot of copycat Chinese knock offs that come in from China that copy our design. It looks like an XLERATOR but it’s not and they cost half of what our dryer costs. That hurts our business,” Gagnon said. “Now with a tariff, that’s helping to keep them out.”
Gagnon said as they try and grow internationally, the tariffs they have to pay on their products can create a barrier. Turkey and Brazil carry some of the highest tariffs for Excel Dryer and Gagnon said he thinks the President’s plan would help make international trade more fair for everyone.
“By Trump pushing for reciprocal tariffs and making it even, that’s going to help open up more export markets for us and give us a more competitive advantage,” he said.
Gagnon said his family, company and employees are proud of their American-made product and while other businesses may feel uncertain about what’s going to happen next, he said to stay patient.
“In business you have to be prepared for everything,” Gagnon said. “When the dust settles and the negotiations are made, and they will be, in the end I think it will be good for everyone and level the playing field and open up trade.”
