Harry Moser: How GoodBulb Reshored the A19 LED Light Bulb to Fargo, North Dakota
In his September 4, 2026 IndustryWeek column, Harry Moser of the Reshoring Initiative profiles GoodBulb, a Fargo, North Dakota lighting company that now operates the only factory in the United States making standard A19 LED household bulbs. Production of that bulb had moved offshore to Asia, especially China, as LED lighting scaled up, and the industry had long treated bringing it back as economically unworkable. GoodBulb's first American-made bulbs went on sale on July 4, 2026, after the company spent eight years developing the manufacturing process.
Why it is worth reading: the case is not built on patriotism alone. Moser lays out the business logic in the same terms the Reshoring Initiative uses for every decision. GoodBulb can produce and ship same day from Fargo, while importers typically wait three to six weeks on ocean freight. Local production gives tighter control over stockouts and makes smaller custom runs practical. And once freight, tariffs, minimum orders, inventory carrying cost, and warranty and rework time are added to the offshore price, the total cost of ownership gap is much smaller than the unit price suggests.
Automation is what made the numbers work. Rather than competing on hand assembly, GoodBulb built a highly automated line that lets a small, skilled team produce at volume. The line is engineered for 10,000 bulbs per shift, with a practical maximum the founder estimates at about 8,000. The company makes its own LED circuit boards and uses automation and robotics to build, package, and palletize in Fargo.
The column is candid about the limits. The electronic components are still sourced overseas, which Moser notes is true for every U.S. LED manufacturer, and GoodBulb's next step is an injection molding machine to bring the diffuser in-house. Reshoring here is happening piece by piece, not all at once.