CHINA

Junior · Race starter St.Thomas Drags Rod-side Aylmer On Member

CHINA

Lightspeed Mike · http://lightspeedmetaldesign.com/

I have tried to do this for years. Unfortunately you end up running into 1 of 3 problems. No North American made products to buy, or they are out of budget or the stuff they do make here is crap.

wuga · Prince Edward County Ont

Unfortunately a long time ago we got pampered, spoiled and greedy. We wanted 3 TVs and a refrigerator that talked back to us. The wife needed the second car to go grocery shopping so we bought off shore including cars so we could afford to have all these things . It started with Japanese goods, moved through the far east until China learned how to corner the market. Soon major North American manufacturers figured this out and moved their production facilities to countries where labor was cheap, it didn't matter that the people there didn't know how to do the job properly or that short cuts could be taken, you could now buy that TV cheaply with an American name plate. Today you drive through the great American industrial zones and see thousands of abandoned factories that have no hope of ever being used for their original purpose again. Today in many cases, their only purpose is to house vagrants who can't afford a place to live because the factory shut down. Many years ago I talked to a man at a party who worked for Van Husen shirts. It was his job to find places in the world where their product could be competitively made. He said that as they moved from country they were no longer third world countries because good employment was rising and that there would soon be no third world countries. He was pretty well spot on except for the one he missed, USA. Today you will have a tough time finding factories in North America that have the capacities to fill the shelves of big box stores let alone the millions of small mom and pop stores. If you do find the home built product, it is so over priced that the ordinary working stiff can't hardly afford it. I could talk on this all day, but for now that's enough.

Warren

54vicky · Veteran Member Oakville On

sadly Junior Warren hit it right on the head in every way.free trade was the beginning of the mess companies found themselves in trying to stay competitive.

Matchless · Vineland On Rod-Side Member

Yep Lightspeed Mike, Yep Wuga and yep 54vicky. I worked for TRW Suspension & Linkage for 26 years. A Global Company that wanted North American Industry and Consumer support for it's Product(s).
We built for Foed, Chrysler and Chev so most of us owned one or more of those products. Made sense, right?. buy from the Company that helps keep your job.
What did TRW do?, went to Mexico, went to the Czech Republic, went to China to produce their product ( to remain economically viable they said) meanwhile closing plants in Canada.
I saw it coming years before it hit, TRW moved from Domestic Suppliers for Tooling, Robotic equipment, Chemicals and so on to .....well......anywhere but Canada it seemed.
And here we are.

Cuddles · Keene Ontario member

Well the good news is, and there is a little, if you are patient and search long enough (the internet is helpful there), we can buy outside of China. For example, I needed a new motor for my drill press. Long story short, I found a larger motor on Kijiji that fit just fine and made in the USA, brand new, in the box, for 10 bucks. A great deal and NOT made in China. So many places I go, like the starter, alternator shop I went to, tell me to be sure NOT to buy any Chinese crap because it will jus break down. So be patient guys and gals. Stuff is still out there and we have the net to find it or someone who can make it. Sure that may not always be the case but it's a good start. Just my outlook, if it helps.

wuga · Prince Edward County Ont

We constantly bitch about off shore products and justifiably so and then we try to figure out why nothing is made in North America anymore. Here is an interesting excerpt from a book on US trade that kind of puts it into perspective.

delanceyplace.com/view-archives.php

Warren

Slim · Hydraulic Service Dundas On

54vicky wrote:
sadly Junior Warren hit it right on the head in every way.free trade was the beginning of the mess companies found themselves in trying to stay competitive.

Companies are making record profits and when they are not, the government helps them line their pockets and steal workers pensions on the way out. then they blame some brown or yellow dude with no money or power for all our problems and argue that if you pay workers starvation wages it will ruin the country.... As long as we keep putting people in office who's sole purpose is to protect themselves and their rich friends we can expect more of the same .