Quote:
Originally Posted by el ess X
Just to kick in on the products made out of Chinesium...
I know a Motorola engineer who's CONSTANTLY on the phone (ironically) with his Hong Kong counterparts on quality issues with their radio and cell phone technology. He said that the control of the quality is the issue, as was stated earlier. It's not that the Chinese CAN'T make quality stuff, it's just there's a whole lot of "what's in it for me besides 3 bucks per day?" mentality. He said a lot of workers that make the parts, can't even afford to buy any of the finished products. So if there's no "skin in the game", or ownership sort of feeling, so there's not an emphasis for them to be enticed to do well. Getting by just enough to get your paycheck is fine by a lot of Chinese workers. Hopefully that will change.
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The question is why? The easy answer is price. It goes much deeper.
If you look at the wages being paid in the newest USA based import plants you will find they are paying fast food wages to non-union auto workers. The ONLY USA based import automotive plant to make the top ten in the Harbour Report was the now defunct GM / Toyota NUMMI plant staffed by UAW workers. The sad fact is we have imported a lower standard of living and moved jobs autoworker jobs from the unions.
There was no job growth with the import auto manufacturers, just relocation of automotive jobs at a lower pay rate and people getting by just enough from pay check to pay check.
Then we have a slew of environmental laws that make manufacturing more expensive in the USA than most every other country in the world. Add to that labor laws and taxes that make businesses more expensive to operate in the USA than most any where else in the world and you have the conditions for even less manufacturing in the USA.
Excuse me while I jack this thread to promote new tax and trade polices for the USA. As long as the government gives huge tax incentives to foreign companies moving into the USA while raising taxes on existing USA based businesses you will continue to see more jobs in manufacturing lost to foreign countries. Add to that the OPEN USA markets and compare them to foreign markets that add taxes, tariffs or onerous inspections to imports that make it next to impossible to sell our goods in foreign markets and more jobs are lost.
The debate should not be focused on the quality of parts made outside the USA. The debate and criticism should be directed at the last 30 years of government policy under both Republicans and Democrats that have gutted manufacturing in the USA while opening our markets to every country for imports at the direct expense of the American working men and women. There is an election just over a month away. While it is important to focus on domestic issues in this dire economy, we should demand the debate include a complete overhaul of our tax and trade structure. Only when changes are made to these policies will you see a return of domestic manufacturing.
Sorry for the rant. I'll go back on topic. Here is a link to
The Book on 5th Gen Suspension.