China vs. US made

[robthompson66]

Re: China vs. US made

You hit the nail on the head PW2, globalization is the way of the world now, and can't be stopped. I try and make it my practice to buy American and buy local, have never owned a foreign car, until now. My now wife owned a Toyota corolla, and I had a Ford Escape, a few months ago I traded the escape in with 150,000 miles on it and got a new one and gave it to her so she wouldn't get another Toyota. I'm now driving the corolla and am self conscious as heck but what's a little interesting is around here in Detroit I constantly have to see bumper stickers that read..."out of a job yet, keep buying foreign!" The corolla I have was built in Canada. My brother in law drives a Camry that was listed as the number two most American car on the road here, only second to the Ford F-150. The secretary at my marina has a little Pontiac, a G3 I believe and has a sticker that says, "Don't put my flag on your foreign car!" American Flag I guess, but the problem is that GMs sub-compacts including that one are 100% built and imported by Daewoo in Korea and rebadged. How is that American?

I have about 4 weeks to go to complete my Master's degree at a local private university. I started 2 years ago when I lost my job and thought it would make me more marketable in the job market. There are "international" students from all over the world that go to my school that can literally barely read, write, or speak English but pass somehow. There was one student that couldn't even understand a simple request from a teacher, it was pretty sad.
This is a well respected school. Amazing what they will do for the money and enrollment.
The toughest professor on the international students in a Chinese guy who came here 30 years ago; he actually expects the students to know English.


Just my .02, I really enjoy this forum, love boating, and have learned so much here. Keep it up everyone.

Thanks
Rob

 

[rogerwa]

Re: China vs. US made

Rob, very good points.. I am sure my Dad is not thrilled that I bought a new Mazda. But it is owned in part by Ford and the underpinning are the same as the Fusion.

He stood by his Chrysler but didn't appreciate when I told him the engine but built by Mitsubishi.

Again the structural problems still exist with these companies and in muy view will limit their potential to thrive on their own.

 

[mscher]

Re: China vs. US made

Well said SigSaurP229. Duh. Who doesn't want cheap. Time for the old import taxes to kick in again. Sheesh.

How would import tax help anyone, other than Uncle Sam?

These taxes would simply be passed on to cunsumers.

 

[mscher]

Re: China vs. US made

Anyone remember in the mid 80's, when nearly everyone was driving a Toyota (built in Japan, of course)? Japan "owned" a lot of U.S. debt and was paying huge sums of money, buying up Los Angeles skyscrapers, Honolulu hotels and Montana ranches? We were buying Japanese machine tools and Japanese robots. Japanese consumer electronics were everywhere.

We were all sure, that we sould soon be forced to speak Japanese, have a Japanese boss and a Japanese landlord. Japan was going to take over the whole world (peacefully this time), including ours.

Wonder what ever happened to all that?

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: China vs. US made

I'm now driving the corolla and am self conscious as heck but what's a little interesting is around here in Detroit I constantly have to see bumper stickers that read..."out of a job yet, keep buying foreign!" The corolla I have was built in Canada. My brother in law drives a Camry that was listed as the number two most American car on the road here, only second to the Ford F-150. The secretary at my marina has a little Pontiac, a G3 I believe and has a sticker that says, "Don't put my flag on your foreign car!" American Flag I guess, but the problem is that GMs sub-compacts including that one are 100% built and imported by Daewoo in Korea and rebadged. How is that American?

Their is no such thing as an American car. Look at the "sticker" in the window of a new car, it shows the parts percentage by country and where it's final assembly was. Honda Accords are assembled in Ohio and Toyota Camrys in Kentucky, just two that come to mind.

 

[bigdee]

Re: China vs. US made

Their is no such thing as an American car. Look at the "sticker" in the window of a new car, it shows the parts percentage by country and where it's final assembly was. Honda Accords are assembled in Ohio and Toyota Camrys in Kentucky, just two that come to mind.

I challenge anyone to name a manufactured product that is 100% U.S. made?

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: China vs. US made

I challenge anyone to name a manufactured product that is 100% U.S. made?

Ok so you got me searching for companies that are true Made in USA.

Found this site... site is to bring attention to companies that are American and to keep Americans working by supporting them.

Check it out:
http://www.digusout.com/about-us

What do you think??

edit... started looking at some of the companies on there, the list isn't too promising.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: China vs. US made

Yeah....we threw out all of our Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones and Beatles music....who needs that foreign crap.
BP

 

[bigdee]

Re: China vs. US made

Ok so you got me searching for companies that are true Made in USA.

Found this site... site is to bring attention to companies that are American and to keep Americans working by supporting them.

Check it out:
http://www.digusout.com/about-us

What do you think??

edit... started looking at some of the companies on there, the list isn't too promising.

Interesting but weak there should be thousands of products and I don't think too many of these are 100% For heavens sake you can't even find a screw or bolt that isn't made in china.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: China vs. US made

Yes. Company I work for are looking at India as an option for tooling as well right now. My neighbor's company was recently bought out by an Indian company and he is currently over there I believe training them to "take his job eventually" Not a good scenario for him.
The dormitories at the shop I was recently at in China have 1 room, 2 sets of bunk beds and 8 people living in each room. 4 sleeping and 4 working. At the end of the shift they switch places !!!! the bed never really gets cold !!!

How about some pictures of this place....

 

[eastont]

Re: China vs. US made

I think we North Americans, and Europeans have to look at what has changed in our economies over the last 20 years and adapt to the change. Here in Ontario we were the manufacturing capital of Canada Inglis.

Massey Ferguson, Westinghouse, Phillips Cables, Northern Electric just to name a few of the companies that employed thousands, but are no longer in existence. We here in Brockville with a population of 22,000 has lost something like 2-3,000 manufacturing jobs in the last 15 years.
A young guy I hired to help me around here this past summer, graduated with a business degree and said he didn't like the idea, but the only way to get a half decent job would be to move to either Ottawa or Toronto.

I guess that's why we have the highest percentage by population of retired folk....and that we have 4 old age homes with another big one planned.

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: China vs. US made

Not to hijack the thread but the fact we send half a trillion dollars out of the US to buy crude oil every year isn't helping anything.

Well to get on the oil subject, how is it that our unemployment rate is as bad as it is, we should be off the "summer rates" from the country going on vacation and junk, and fuel costs are nearly $3.00 per gal for the cheap stuff?

No explanation, no threat from another country like in the Bush days, Iraq didn't sneeze this week, NADA.

How bout the fact that BP lost millions of gallons of crude in the Gulf and it didn't touch the price of fuel? Any answers???

Anyone know?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: China vs. US made

How about some pictures of this place....

This is not where I was but this is kind of typical.
Note the comfortable mattresses !!!

 

[JBF 1962]

Re: China vs. US made

Add to that cost shipping product from the other side of the world...

 

[albion2]

Re: China vs. US made

Are the Chinese goods really much cheaper when the get to the shops here.Take a look at Nike shoes or DeWalt tools most of those are made in China and they cost up to $120 a pair of shoes.Check the price of DeWalt tools, they certainly dont have a sticker price as if they were made in China.

 

[mscher]

Re: China vs. US made

If the selling prices are higher, it's because of markup, not costs. names like Nike and Dewalt have value (?) to them, so the companies capalize on them.

The Dewalt power sheetmetal shears are nearly 4 times the price of similar shears from Harbor Freight. Both are made overseas. The quality packing and fit seem about the same, I was having a tough time seeing why the price difference.

A Chinese made floor jack sells for $60 and works as well as any other floor jack I have ever used. A brand name equilivent American made jack, sells for over $300. Hard to belive that there is that much difference in labor cost, or Govt regulations. Markup?

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: China vs. US made

If the selling prices are higher, it's because of markup, not costs. names like Nike and Dewalt have value (?) to them, so the companies capalize on them.

The Dewalt power sheetmetal shears are nearly 4 times the price of similar shears from Harbor Freight. Both are made overseas. The quality packing and fit seem about the same, I was having a tough time seeing why the price difference.

A Chinese made floor jack sells for $60 and works as well as any other floor jack I have ever used. A brand name equilivent American made jack, sells for over $300. Hard to belive that there is that much difference in labor cost, or Govt regulations. Markup?

Companies move offshore to save costs. The savings are passed on to the stock holders and the company executive's not the consumer.

 

[mscher]

Re: China vs. US made

Companies move offshore to save costs. The savings are passed on to the stock holders and the company executive's not the consumer.

Nike shoes have always been made overseas, so there should be no change "moving offshore". My response was to why a pair of Chinese made Nike shoes cost $110, when similar Chinese made shoes are $15. Markup.

IF HF can make a profit selling a jack for $60, was Walker making and selling an American made jack for $300, too large of a markup, in the first place?

No one can really expect Companies to lower their prices, when they move mfg to lower cost countries. On the flip side, these same Companies, should not be complaining, when their customers start buying less expensive, directly imported products, elsewhere.