Ecommerce on Tap is a world where Supply Chain meets storytelling. Join Aaron Alpeter each week as they offer insights into the backend of successful businesses. Brought to you by Sourcify and Izba Consulting!
DeWalt's Mexico Factory Still Doesn't Qualify for USMCA
DeWalt operates a fully vertically integrated, 500,000-square-foot factory in Reynosa, Mexico, and by the company's own account, less than a third of what it makes there qualifies for USMCA's duty-free treatment. Aaron Alpeter and Hugh Dixson, founder and CEO of the supply chain integration platform Switchboard, break down why Regional Value Content, not final assembly location, decides USMCA qualification, and what that means for any brand weighing a move to Mexico.
Hugh Dixson is the founder and CEO of Switchboard, a Sydney-based supply chain integration platform connecting ERP, warehouse, and transportation systems.
15 Sept 2026
Mexico Manufacturing: Why "Cheap Labor" Isn't the Real Reason Brands Are Moving | Javier Zarazúa
Kicking off our Mexico season with Javier Zarazúa Ruiz, Managing Partner of JL Nearshoring Mexico and a 25-year veteran of manufacturing operations at Caterpillar and Adient. Everyone assumes brands are moving to Mexico for cheap labor — the real gap is about a dollar an hour. Javier and Aaron break down what's actually driving the shift: tariffs, transit time, and 60 years of industrial infrastructure most people think started in 2018.
18 Aug 2026
Dr Martens: Durability Isn't an Engineering Problem, it's a Business Model Problem.
Dr. Martens built a boot designed to outlive its owner. So why did a company built on permanence need you to buy five more pairs? This week we trace the 1460 from a broken foot in postwar Munich to a £3.7B IPO — and the identity crisis in between.
This season on Ecommerce on Tap, we've been going deep on footwear — Birkenstock, Rothy's, New Balance, and now one of the most recognizable boots in the world: Dr. Martens.
Aaron is joined by returning co-host Daniel Barkin (Supply Chain Lead at The Flex Company, formerly Groundwork Coffee) to unpack how a 1945 German medical shoe prototype became a British punk icon, a private-equity growth story, and — more recently — a public company trading well below its IPO price.
Along the way, they get into:
Why the "shoes don't last like they used to" complaint is more complicated than it sounds
How a durable, repairable product can actually work against a company's growth
The real origin story: Klaus Martens, a broken foot, and an air-cushioned sole
How the Griggs family turned a German component into a distinctly British product
Why Dr. Martens became a walking billboard for skinhead, punk, goth, and queer subcultures — and why that flexibility was the business advantage
The 2003 near-bankruptcy and the move of manufacturing out of Britain
What "Made in England" actually means for a boot now made mostly in Vietnam and Laos
Solovair vs. Dr. Martens: who gets to claim authenticity when the trademark and the factory split up
Permira's 2013 buyout, the 2021 IPO, and what investors were really paying for
The Portland-to-LA distribution failure that helped unravel the growth story
The new CEO's "consumer-first" pivot, and whether repair programs can rebuild trust in the brand
Who might actually buy Dr. Martens if it goes up for sale: VF Corp, Deckers, Wolverine Worldwide, or Authentic Brands Group
If you've ever wondered why your favorite pair of shoes doesn't last the way your parents' did — or why "durable" and "growing" can be in tension for a brand — this one's for you.
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Aaron and Nathan and Aaron Alpeter and Nathan Resnick host the show. Published by Aaron Alpeter.
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