Jun 23, 2011 at 2:15 PM Post #91 of 98


Quote:
If you notice, that post you responded to was written about 4 years ago. At that time, there was a labor shortage and some Chinese workers were beginning to see wage increases and better working conditions. 
 
Of course, manufacturers can't be putting up with that so, since that time, there has been an exodus inland, into more rural areas where labor is still poor and desperate.
 
Despite the sanitization of labor history from the textbooks some 30 years ago, wages and working standards improved in the U.S. because of our political system and millions of people who risked their lives over a period of decades to demand it, not some natural market driven evolution.  China doesn't have that system.  The Chinese can't strike for better conditions or vote for political representation friendly to wage and worker safety legislation.
 
China will not be changing it's approach any time soon.  Even If they had such temerity, the manufacturers would run off to Indonesia, Malaysia and other backwater countries in search of cheaper labor and more lax regulations.
 
It's a race to the bottom.  You can expect Africa to be the next manufacturing capital if they can ever get a good, strong, stable dictatorship going.  Corporations much prefer dictatorships, but they do have to be strong enough so as to not be vulnerable to freedom fighters or revolutionaries that might expropriate the corporations assets.
 
As CEO of GE, Jack Welch once put it, (to paraphrase):  "In a perfect world, a corporations manufacturing facilities would be based on a barge.  It would roam the earth in a constant quest for the cheapest labor and the fewest regulations."
 
With better wages and work conditions comes higher prices.  To avoid that and keep market share, corporations will weigh anchor on their barge and move out of China, just like they moved from The Northeast, to the Midwest, to the South, To Mexico, To Asia..........  After Africa, where?

 
I don't disagree with that at all - and I'm not looking for a debate, as this could go on for days with me and you firing off retorts, but Americans were once ruled by a monarch - change is slow, change does come, but what kind of change is up to the people.   You can argue it any way you want but monarchies / dynasties have come and gone at the desire of the people throughout the history of civilization.  It all starts some where.  I like that quote too, btw.  It's a good one.
 
 
 
Nov 11, 2013 at 11:27 AM Post #92 of 98
I am an EE and retired now but worked on several projects in 1990's and 2000's there. I worked in the telecom cellular area. It was my experience, perhaps things have changed. that while engineers and workers may have had high commitment to quality, management to a large degree did not. They were strictly oriented to shipping product. They compared unfavorably to Japan where quality is valued by the entire company. I do not know the consumer product electronics area. But living there and seeing how companies behaved makes me believe things have not changed. I was just there this summer for 3 week vacation as a tourist and noticed on a number of technical systems quality problems. I have been using Grado for a long time, they are made in USA and are a real quality product.
 
Nov 11, 2013 at 6:23 PM Post #93 of 98
All Beyerdynamics are made in Germany
Stax made in Japan
Audeze USA
Fostex Hi-end Japan
Some Sennheiser cans are made in Germany or Ireland
Grados are NOT currently made in the US, be aware.
Ultrasone Hi-end - Germany
German Maestro - Germany
 
Nov 11, 2013 at 9:00 PM Post #94 of 98
  All Beyerdynamics are made in Germany
Stax made in Japan
Audeze USA
Fostex Hi-end Japan
Some Sennheiser cans are made in Germany or Ireland
Grados are NOT currently made in the US, be aware.
Ultrasone Hi-end - Germany
German Maestro - Germany

From Gradolabs.com website:
 
"... each Grado headphone is hand-assembled and closely scrutinized to meet full performance specifications in the U.S.A."
 
Want to let me know when  you're going to sue them for fraud and false advertising?
 
Nov 11, 2013 at 10:02 PM Post #96 of 98
Given the world wide methods of production today parts come from everywhere for products. I think if they are assembled in a country for example the USA then that is about as good as it gets for being made there. Virtually all products today contain parts made in other countries at least that is my experience in the telecom field.
 
Nov 11, 2013 at 10:58 PM Post #97 of 98
That's a very subtle difference actually. For example, I can bring cheap parts to Switzerland and assemble them in house . Does it make the product Swiss made? In order to put the label "Swiss made " more than 55% of the part has to be built in Switzerland. Those are the rules in the EU.
 

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