Why We Build Bob Carver LLC Products In The USA
The design and manufacturing of vacuum tube amplifiers and radios started here in the United States in the early 20th century. Most of these products are still serviceable today because they were hand built using point-to-point wiring. We are continuing this tradition of making hand wired tube amplifier because they sound great and will last a long time. American-made amplifiers are still perceived as the best in the world, and every single Bob Carver LLC amplifier is produced in our shop in Lexington, KY.
Bob Carver is an iconic American Inventor, developing design concepts through product engineering and into manufacturing for over 50 years. Bob designed and built his first amplifier in 1960, and now 5 decades later he is still designing the finest audio reproduction equipment in the world. No other individual alive today has spent as many years designing amplifiers as Bob has. He knows how to make them look good, sound good and most importantly - be reliable.
Quality Control
When a company does not possess its own captive manufacturing operation it does not have the full control necessary to support its product, react to customer needs, upgrade and innovate on the fly. When manufacturing is left to others you lose the insight of the assembler, who sees many units a day and often contributes to the improvement of the product. Also - it's pretty common for a subcontracting factory to make changes as they see fit to reduce production costs, even though this sometimes conflicts with the original designer's intention. Our engineers know, see and talk to the assemblers every day, as does the sales staff and the President. Any changes in our process or components can only be done with authorization of our in-house engineers, who also talk to vendors, sales personnel and customers. This highly integrated effort makes for excellent products and after-sale service.
Our U.S. based manufacturing facility enables complete control and oversight of products within close proximity to all employees of the company. We know that by making them in our own shop we can insure the highest quality products are being produced. We have direct, hands-on control of materials at incoming inspection, during the manufacturing and test process as well as outgoing QC steps. We have a better ability to monitor the quality of our products "in process". This means that if a problem occurs on the line the engineering resources are just steps away and not half way around the world with a 12 hour time difference. When you go offshore, it can take months to catch errors in manufacturing and even more time to correct them. Since we design and manufacture in the same building our engineers are able to monitor each-and-every step of each-and-every amplifier.
Our expert technicians tune and test every single unit produced. We burn them in for 72 hours and then re-test them. Tube amplifiers have a certain "feel" and "tone," and each of our amplifiers are evaluated with a critical set of ears prior to shipment in order to insure they sound exactly like we want them to.
Our 7-year warranty is proof that we stand behind our products - and we count on no outside subcontractors for the assembly of them. We simply want to reassure our customers that their amplifiers will remain a reliable part of their listening experience for years to come.
Quality Improvements
Some of the finest product engineers work closely with Bob Carver right here in our facility. This allows us to create high-quality, highly reliable, beautiful pieces of equipment. We're always looking for ways to improve the process and increase reliability. When you have everything under one roof, you can quickly implement design changes. We invest in continuous quality improvement methods and insist that they are practiced up close and personally. These quality methods are part of an ongoing process that occurs every day in our factory, and simply cannot be managed as effectively from thousands of miles away.
Just In Time Production Facility
In all cases building product abroad means you have to produce in larger "batches". We are very much a "Just-In-Time" shop and build only what we need on a real-time basis. Building too far ahead would prevent us from quick design or manufacturing changes and/or improvements. We also don't have component lead time problems that are related to shipments coming from overseas, so we can ensure prompt delivery of high-quality products.
Time to Market
By manufacturing in the U.S. we're able to bring products to market more quickly and with fewer mistakes than if they were built off shore. Being a U.S. company has allowed Bob Carver to continue to lead the industry in innovations, invent and design the custom tooling and equipment to consistently make these products as quickly as possible.
Customer Service
When audio enthusiasts are buying high-quality gear they want them made in the U.S.A. They also want to deal with companies who are responsive and have complete control over their own operations. They deserve world class support and service, the kind that is warranted for this type of product and that we are committed to.
We provide exceptional "design center, factory-based" customer support. Service is faster, repair parts are more available, and telephone and e-mail help by real people with deep product knowledge is on-site. Each person in our company is involved in all phases of design, manufacturing and support. Tribal knowledge is alive and well at Bob Carver LLC.
Pride
As a local U.S. company, Bob Carver LLC takes pride in playing its part to boost the local economy. We are proud to manufacture in the U.S. and be able to provide jobs to highly skilled Americans. The U.S. based production, job loyalty and pride of our U.S. workforce is why the American flag is placed on the outside of our product cartons.