MORE BIRDS: Hummers are back in droves. Betty Mays of Cyclone
phoned to tell us she had her first returnees on Wednesday. And
down in Cameron County, Millie Clark says that a lone hummingbird
“joined us for dinner” at her Rich Valley home Wednesday evening.
Just in time, the feeders were up and ready to go.

OH, ZIPPO: Our world-famous lighter company is in the news
again.

The Washington Times used Zippo as an example of a “made in
America” company that has continued to thrive despite competitive
pressure to outsource.

“While many U.S. manufacturers continue to struggle, there are
still healthy American companies that make products on U.S. soil,
including Zippo and other icons of American manufacturing,”
according to the story.

“Zippo insists on making its iconic lighter, with a trademark
rectangular shape and a distinctive slip-click shut, in the U.S. It
is starting a production line for a new pocket lighter aimed at
cigar aficionados and pipe smokers, and it plans to move
manufacturing of a multipurpose lighter, used to light candles and
grills, from China to Bradford, Pa.”

“Made in the U.S.A. is the primary strategy. Long term, it is to
make everything here in Bradford,” said Gregory Booth, president
and chief executive of the privately held company.

The story goes on: “Overseas sales are helped by relentless
marketing of the lighter as an iconic American luxury good, on
display next to Gucci and Prada. Japan is the biggest overseas
market, worth 2.8 million lighters a year, and China is growing at
a 30 percent clip to about 1 million lighters in 2005.”

“The family-run company is in part committed to the area, he
(Booth) said. But it is also committed to its own survival. Mr.
Booth said Zippo can prosper in the U.S. by constantly reducing
costs as well as squeezing more production and better quality out
of each worker,” the story said.

“In Bradford, Zippo’s production line appears decidedly
low-tech, with noisy machine presses stamping brass sheets into
shape and workers polishing, inspecting and stacking lighters by
hand. But closer examination also shows lasers engraving new
designs and a computer-controlled chrome-plating process.

“The employees, who average about $15 an hour before health,
pension and other benefits are figured in and who do not belong to
a union, say they take pride in making an American product and are
confident in the company’s future.”