Cra-Z-Art, the New Jersey company behind RoseArt and Softee Dough, plans to expand its USA manufacturing capacity by 50%, The Toy Book reported on March 13, 2025.
The expansion
- Manufacturing space will grow to 1.5 million square feet.
- The company opened a plant in Jacksonville, Florida about four years earlier, with injection and blow molding. It also owns what it calls the country’s largest pencil factory, in Lewisburg, Tennessee.
- Chairman Lawrence Rosen told the New York Post the company has shipped equipment and molds from China to the USA in recent months.
- Rosen said Cra-Z-Art could also make products in the USA for other small and mid-size companies.
“Based on the current economic climate, we are taking decisive action to expand and invest in American manufacturing.”
Lawrence Rosen, Cra-Z-Art chairman
Why it matters for Made in USA
Most toys sold in the USA are made in China. A large maker moving molds home, and offering contract production to others, is a real reshoring step. The Toy Book noted much of the new work may be automated.
FAQ
Where does Cra-Z-Art make products?
In Jacksonville, Florida and Lewisburg, Tennessee, among other sites.
How big is the expansion?
50%, to 1.5 million square feet.
Why now?
The company cited tariffs and the economic climate.
Source & credit
Source: The Toy Book, March 13, 2025: “Made In USA: Cra-Z-Art Expands U.S. Manufacturing in Response to Trump Tariffs”, by James Zahn.