KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The makers of Alaskan’s favorite rubber boot have responded to calls from Alaska’s junior senator to improve their product and consider moving back to the United States. Currently, Xtra Tufs are made in China, where production was moved last year by Honeywell Corporation. Earlier this year fishermen started noticing a decrease in quality and an increase in failure of the boot.
Senator Mark Begich said Honeywell responded last week to his suggestion about the corporate tax structure in America, which suggested said might be driving jobs overseas. At first, Honeywell said the tax regime was not an issue, but has since said they would like to discuss the topic with Begich.
The company also said they have improved training in their workforce and have recalled or replaced all defective boots shipped to America. Begich says there’s one way to find out if that’s true: ship some to Alaska for testing.
As for moving production back to America, where about 500 jobs were lost when Xtra Tufs went to China, Honeywell was non-committal, but Begich said it’s not unheard of for a company to do so.
In his letter to Honeywell, Begich also suggested the company put back into production the Xtra Tuf beer koozie, which is made out of the same material as the famous boots and reportedly do an excellent job in keeping a cold beverage cold. Honeywell has not yet responded to that request.
