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Posted by Chris Lewis on May 11, 2007, 9:34 am
> I didn't say the were _only_ made in US, and, if you'll note the quote
> you posted includes the key world "also". It's pretty clear the
> products for SE Asia/Australia/etc. markets are produced outside the
> US and the European are at least partially produced there.
You may be construing that I'm against tools made in China simply
because they're made in China. Not so. They may be, or they may not,
that really doesn't enter into my tool preferences.
It's by no means clear whether there is any regional affinity between
manufacturing location and market. It simply doesn't say.
The reality is that companies strive for the cheapest possible
manufacturing costs consistent with keeping/gaining market.
"Milwaulkee" is an important name, so for long term viability they
have to keep the quality that they're famous for. Which means
"higher end" design (eg: more rugged tools by design), and good QA.
They're going to pick the cheapest place to manufacture consistent
with the QA. If they can maintain the desired QA in China, they're
going to make it in China. Especially if they're Chinese. Anything
else makes no business sense.
Further, manufacturing devices like this draws on all sorts of parts.
Chances are that various parts are made by different companies
in different countries, and assembly might be somewhere else entirely.
Again, under the QA management they figure they want and can achieve.
I'd _prefer_ to buy locally manufactured stuff (which for me isn't
the US), but if it doesn't meet my price-quality requirements, I won't.
I have tools that were made in China. And tools made just down the
street by Lee Valley. I decide what I need/want vs price, and pick
the best match. Sometimes a cheap crappy tool fits my needs better
than a high priced high quality one.
> If you'll also look at the TTI web page you'll find a message that
> brand loyalty and identification is a key business strategy and that
> they have a very deliberate idea of marketing to the full range of
> customers and price ranges as an overall company and that all products
> are not designed for all markets.
I saw all of that, but, remember, manufacturing _location_ has
relatively little bearing on any of it. China produces some very
high quality stuff, as well as crap. Every country is like that.
> Search for a thread only a few weeks ago where I posted a significant
> more detailed analysis in response to another poster's questions about
> Milwaukee. There's quite an interesting story in there as I learned
> while doing quite a bit of research a year or so ago in order to
> evaluate the company as investment opportunity/merit...they're not the
> ordinary stereotypical "Chinese startup" kind of outfit by any means
> despite having some production in China and Ryobi being their initial
> product...
Obviously. Neither is Rexon. Purchasing a company like Milwaulkee
is an expensive proposition simply because of its brand. It would
be stupid to buy Milwaulkee and then let its quality and reputation
go down the toilet.
The fact that Milwaulkee is/is not made in China really doesn't
matter to me. What matters is whether one of their tools is
consistent with my needs/expectations. Unfortunately for Milwaulkee,
I don't need any of those tools at the moment (and the B&D store
where I bought my rebuilt Dewalts cheap is just around the corner ;-)
--
Chris Lewis,
Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
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