Real vs. Fake Companies: Why Owning Manufacturing Matters | Shlomo Assa (Acclaro Medical)

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable), Matt Horine interviews Shlomo Assa, chairman, president, and co-founder of Acclaro Medical, a serial founder in the laser industry with 20+ patents whose operations ship to 60 countries. Assa explains how COVID-era supply chain disruptions showed that IP alone isn’t enough; companies that outsource turnkey manufacturing lose control of delivery, pricing, quality, and the ability to redesign around component end-of-life issues, making them “fake” companies dependent on offshore partners. He argues the recurring lesson across his ventures is urgency: when customers pay, you must be able to ship immediately or risk losing the deal. Assa distinguishes healthy, cost-neutral subcontracting of qualified subassemblies from full turnkey outsourcing, and discusses the global pricing premium and trust associated with “Made in the USA,” plus leadership and respect as keys to building strong manufacturing teams.  Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:10 Real vs Fake Companies 01:55 COVID Supply Chain Wake Up 05:21 Ship Fast or Lose Deals 08:10 Fear of Manufacturing 10:08 Smart Outsourcing Rules 12:54 Turnkey Outsourcing Trap 16:17 Field Failures Cost More 18:07 Made in USA Premium 23:36 Quality Details That Matter 29:44 Workforce and Leadership 34:39 30 Day Fix and CI 40:35 Contact and Closing 41:15 Final Takeaways and CTA Links Acclaro Website Acclaro on LinkedIn Shlomo on LinkedIn Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform