Offshore parts returning to US mfg.

denis4x4

denis4x4

Well-known member
My neighbor has been in the high end restoration business for many years. Now retired and working on his own stuff, he was telling me that there is a move to start making gaskets, seals and bearings for antique and classic engines in the USA again. He discovered this info after replacing the rear main seal on a '66 Lincoln Continental twice within a month. The bad seals were sold under a popular brand name, but made in China. The new US made seal was considerably more money, but was a bargain compared with the labor to replace it twice before!

According to my neighbor, the labor costs of doing the job twice, and possibly three times, negates the extra cost of a quality product.
 
About time. Sad what has happened to this country. Most of this this offshore stuff is junk....Should start making most of our products here again and employ our own citizens....
 
snowbird06 said:
About time. Sad what has happened to this country. Most of this this offshore stuff is junk....Should start making most of our products here again and employ our own citizens....
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I agree, but we kind of did it to ourselves. It isn't so much that offshore manufacturers can't make really good parts,but that we, the customer, want Wal-mart prices. Suppliers scramble to cut costs and remain competitive, which means looking for the cheapest way and place to make something.

If we, not the Fordbarn, but the average American consumer, said we want quality and we will pay for it, that's what we would have. But, those of us who recognize the value in well made goods are a minority and the manufacturers who want to serve us can't stay in business-we are too small a niche.

Today, you can't be certain a USA made part is really good,either. We turn out a lot of crap here,too. We always have, but there is a kind of pride in workmanship,where you went to work for Federated Widgets after school and stayed there 40 years and retired with their pension, that doesn't exist anymore. Not many workers care much about their company-and not many companies care about their workers. But, in the end, it always comes down to money, not service.

In the end,all you can do is buy the best you can, support your neighbors, stand by your word and your work and hope that one person sees your example, decides to do the same, and that gradually we get out of this mess. So, who have you helped today?

This is the only day any of us are guaranteed to have-I hope yours is a great one.
 
I hope this is true. I think we all have had the experience of learning the hard way that you get what you pay for.This county has to bring manufacturing back.We can't come out of a recession by all of us working at McDonalds.But we must remember that we can't manufacture something that is so expensive that the person making it can't even afford it.I think that is the spiral that took us down to start with.
 
5window said:
I agree, but we kind of did it to ourselves. It isn't so much that offshore manufacturers can't make really good parts,but that we, the customer, want Wal-mart prices. Suppliers scramble to cut costs and remain competitive, which means looking for the cheapest way and place to make something.

If we, not the Fordbarn, but the average American consumer, said we want quality and we will pay for it, that's what we would have. But, those of us who recognize the value in well made goods are a minority and the manufacturers who want to serve us can't stay in business-we are too small a niche.

Today, you can't be certain a USA made part is really good,either. We turn out a lot of crap here,too. We always have, but there is a kind of pride in workmanship,where you went to work for Federated Widgets after school and stayed there 40 years and retired with their pension, that doesn't exist anymore. Not many workers care much about their company-and not many companies care about their workers. But, in the end, it always comes down to money, not service.

In the end,all you can do is buy the best you can, support your neighbors, stand by your word and your work and hope that one person sees your example, decides to do the same, and that gradually we get out of this mess. So, who have you helped today?

This is the only day any of us are guaranteed to have-I hope yours is a great one.
Click to expand...



My compliments, you are so right. Thank you for this article.

Gerard
 
Greed from top to bottom is what got us in this situation. Only the the greed at top have more crooks in there corner. But I still enjoy what was stated above. Hope this is not conceder a political statement. If it is I 'm sorry.:(
 
The company I work for decided over a year ago to close our plant with some of the bussiness going to Mexico. We were supposed to be closed as of last March, but we are still open due to quality and logistical problems at the Mexico plant anf the U.S. plant that was to take over the remaining bussiness. Latest news it will be around July before they can get us closed and many are not even sure about that. Rumors in the company from reliable souces are saying there is considerable debate as to if we are going to fully close at all. Last week the brought back in 4 machines that had gone to a different U.S. plant to due bussiness volume that could not be handled at the other plant, so time will tell. Currently we have less than 1/2 the number of emplyees we had a year ago and less than 1/4 of what we ad in the late 90's. Rod
 
About 25 years ago a famous pharmaceutical company opened a new multimillion dollar manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico as a way to reduce costs. A few years ago I heard that things were not going as expected. The workforce would decide whether or not they wanted to work that day or if they wanted to work all day long or just a few hours. Last year I heard that the plant had closed. The problem was having millions and millions of dollars ******* in production facilities and sitting idle so much of the time was just cost prohibitive. This wasn't something that the bean counters took in account. One more feather in the American workers cap.
 
Hershey Kisses will be made in MEXICO starting Jan.1 2011 ,, The Great AMERICAN Chocolate bar... never on my lips again!!! peppermint patties are made down there already. And they want to know why alot of American's are out of work??? MANUFACTURING jobs are needed here.. FIRST! and without TAXES to them.
 
I have a half-way relative,(his family married into my family) who is facing an interesting problem.He makes ornamental key fobs,laser cut wood inlays pressed into each other with the logo of whoever he is making them for.He usually has around 90 people employed.Most of his contracts are expiring,and are up for bid.He has been outbid,but his clients have offered him the chance to meet the other bids.They are figuring making the stuff in Mexico,and his cost to make here is quite a lot more than what they are selling them for.If he wishes to set up a plant in Mexico he can keep the work,if not,he closes.While he is not happy about taxes,it is is a long way from a deal breaker for him.It is the insurances.He said if his insurance was half of what it is he could meet the Mexico price.I doubt he will really set up in Mexico.He has the capabilities,and he spent some time there looking into it,but what disgusts him the most is the bribery thing.You just can't figure a cost on something when the costs of the bribes keeps changing with changes in local administration.
 
Shock absorbers for cars and trucks. I will not go far into details of which company I work for or who we supply. Rod
 
I blame the unions! ..... and of course corporate greed and Uncle Sam. Actually it was a combination of the three that caused many of our "big business" manufacturing jobs to head east and south in my opinion.

Now don't get me wrong about the unions. Were it not for the unions the working man would have never stood a chance! The problem was the unions never knew when to back off. Add in the union's corruption plus Uncle Sam's brand of taxation and nosy control plus corporate greed, whether justified or not, and many businessmen were practically driven or drove themselves with greed to go somewhere cheaper and set up shop or go out of business.

The only alternative that I can see to bring the jobs back is a significant compromise ON ALL 3 SIDES!

.... and just a wee bit of protectionism but not enough to completely kill the global economy (but just enough to keep from having a war).



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