Quote:
Originally posted by scottj
...Then you stuff it full of Chinese cranks, rods etc. You won’t find Eagle, Scat, Cat, Manley, or any other foreign junk in mine.
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I have watched this thread for a few days without saying anything but would like to clear up some facts to help shed light on why many of you feel foreign made products are crap.
Just for the record, I will state my allegiance… I am part of a product development and sourcing company. And yes, I source many items from Asia, as well as Europe, US, Mexico and Canada. I work for many Fortune 100 companies and they come to us for products for which they want to find alternative sources. Why? Yes, often price, but most of the time – to find additional resources and engineering that they cannot get elsewhere.
Different countries have stereotypes for different reasons… but it depends on whom you ask. Many people stereotype China as “poor quality products” and “child labor in every factory”. Fair enough based on the press you hear. But the reality is that all morally responsible companies (all every company that I deal with) mandate that their factories pass certain requirements (both labor and quality control). I have been to China factories that put US factories to shame (and vise versa). China is les expensive due to labor, Taiwan is more expensive typically because they utilize better engineering and tollerances, etc...
I am not here to defend any country or company that goes overseas to purchase products, but I do want to make sure you all have the facts on one thing.
Product quality is not (ultimately) the responsibility of the producing factory (regardless of country it is produced in). In the product development process, every product must have sound design and material requirements and, most importantly, concise quality control guidelines. THIS is the responsibility of the retailer or sourcing company. If the product is of poor quality, it is most often due to:
1. The retailer did not test the product before it was sent to market
2. To save money, the retailer cut corners and used lesser-quality materials to meet a price point (THIS IS THE MOST COMMON)
That said, every product has a defect ratio, regardless where it is produced. To say a “country” produces bad products is just not true. Focus on the company selling the product.
Scott, this is not pointed at you so please don’t take offense to this post. It is a very common misperception that most people believe. I just wanted to help explain that the responsibility is on the company that is asking for the product to be produced more than the company that is actually manufacturing. If Eagle, Scat, etc… are making crap products (I do not know if they are or not), it is their fault for specifying the materials and poor quality control processes to let these products get into the market.
You have heard the phrase “crap in – crap out”. That applies here. No respectful company would launch a product that they have not first fully tested and approved before it is sent out to the consumer.
If my Shelby comes in from CAV any less quality than the Las Vegas Shelby, I do not blame the South African factory…. I blame Shelby for allowing me to receive it - and will return it to them. The same goes for my Ford Truck (with components made in Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China, Mexico and the US).
And yes, there are many factories that I would not set foot in. But those factories are in every country. I even export items into Germany, Korea and the UK (from the US) because they cannot fulfill to the quality and price standard in their own country.
Sorry for the lengthy post
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