SGAA Response to the Reusche → Fuse Master Transition
Over the past several years, our suppliers have endured a level of uncertainty that would have crushed a less resilient industry. Between rising manufacturing costs, the ripple effects of international conflict, tariff whiplash, and global supply chain volatility, stability has been harder than usual to come by for everyone, especially for a niche sector like ours. Even when the worst-case scenarios never fully materialized, we all know how the fear alone, and the constant planning for “what if,” takes a toll.
This week’s announcement about the historic Reusche line transitioning to Fuse Master at the end of November lands squarely in that context. And yet, like so many other notable recent moments in our industry, new leadership is stepping up with commitment and vision.
The Strength We Saw This Year
Over the last few years, we’ve watched owners transition, emerging leaders dig in, and long-time mentors support the next generation. That resolve has kept essential materials alive, and it continues to give us hope.
This past year, SGAA made a deliberate choice to focus on strengthening our own infrastructure so we could finally get out of crisis-response mode and become a more reliable partner to studios, suppliers, and the broader preservation community. The side effect of that decision was real: instead of pouring every ounce of capacity into a single event, we were able to spend the year communicating with members more consistently, supporting more shops, and paying closer attention to the day-to-day challenges you’ve been facing.
What We’re Hearing From You
We know many of you are still carrying the strain of unpredictable availability, international sourcing challenges, and the very real impact of tariffs on small-lot purchasing. We’ve been listening, and we will keep listening.
As we head into the season of gratitude, we cannot say enough about the steady, candid feedback so many of you have shared with us this year. Those insights about materials instability, sourcing hurdles, workflow disruptions, and the pressure on small studios have been invaluable. Because we finally had the infrastructure to listen more deeply, we were able to gather more real-world information than we have in years.
And we want even more of it.
Your direct experience is what allows us to advocate effectively, troubleshoot problems before they escalate, and map out practical alternatives when materials shift. The Reusche transition is exactly the kind of moment where that collective knowledge matters: when you tell us what’s still unstable or hard to source, we can connect studios to solutions faster and make sure no one is navigating these changes alone.
What Happens Next
In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing how our strengthened infrastructure will be put into place to empower our community including opening a structured channel to gather specific concerns, identify pinch points, and track where transitions like this leave gaps.
Our goal is simple: to ensure no studio is left scrambling and to support Schilling and Fuse Master and all of our suppliers as they take on the responsibility of keeping critical materials available to the community.
Support the Suppliers Who Support This Craft
This holiday season, we ask you to continue supporting the retailers and manufacturers and suppliers who support this craft, especially those that put our community first. Whenever possible, choose to buy from the retailers, small shops, manufacturers and distributors who invest in our field, show up in our community, and commit to the long-term stewardship of the materials we rely on.
Looking Ahead
We’ve weathered a whirlwind few years together. But if you know how SGAA operates these days, you know we dig into the history, pay attention to the patterns, and recognize that challenge has always sparked innovation in this industry. Your input now will shape how we steady the road ahead.
More information is coming soon. In the meantime, if your studio is experiencing ongoing material challenges, or struggling to track down where to find certain materials these days, please continue to let us know—your voice directly informs how we respond and how we support the entire industry through this transition.