China Manufacturing Super Power-----------------Really!

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MGK3

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Last night I decided to see what 1.3 Billion people could come up with any new and better ways to sharpen knives. I was hoping for some innovation, but..........

I went to DHGate, Chinese version of Ebay, and the source for all the clones. I did a search on "knife sharpeners". What did I come up with 3011 items for knife sharpener. A review of these items showed that it was the same basic 10 -12 American inspired clone items selling at 20% - 50% of the genuine article sold by a variety of Chinese vendors. How these vendors expected to make any money, by selling the same item and cutting each others throat financially, I don't know.

Were the items of better quality for a lower price, NO!

It would seem that the Chinese have learned some of the bad aspects of capitalism. Maximize your profit with no innovation, poor quality and watch the suckers come a running looking for a deal!

This brief look into the Chinese mind set on manufacturing, capitalism, etc would seem to make it clear they have a ways to go. Cheap labor and materials only take you so far.

I found this interesting, anyways. thoughts?
 
Oh boy where to begin. This thread may not be in the correct forum but I'll comment quickly. China....... Complex issue, personally I think it's done a lot of damage jobs,quality, copys,counterfeiting etc. Generally there seems to be issue's with ethics,honesty coming from over there.
 
This topic is well known (counterfeits), and some overseas manufacturing procedures. It's no secret and has been happening for years. The Fellowes company (make office supplies and paper shredders) moved their manufacturing overseas years back, they taught the labor force how to operate the machinery and how to produce the products. Eventually they showed up to work one day and they were greeted by security that did not allow the American workers entry into their own facility, it was a $100 million lesson learned. One more thing, they do not acknowledge US or other international copyright law, patents, or trademarks. in short, they just don't care.

http://www.manufacturingnews.com/news/11/0415/Fellowes1.html
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-outsourcing-to-china-cost-fellowes.html

There is another thread here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1080398-Counterfeits-The-Truth-of-the-matter
 
China's status as a manufacturing superpower has little to do with knives. They are able to output high volumes of consumer electronics, apparel, machinery, automotive goods, computers, and various other commodities at low costs. In most cases, they are a supplier for foreign brands.

As for innovation, it's certainly there, but Chinese knifemakers don't market heavily over here (though Reate signed up for a knifemaker membership here and keeps in touch with members here). I've seen some nice original designs, but there hasn't really been an effort to get them to mainstream dealers/distributors.
 
MGK3 said:
Last night I decided to see what 1.3 Billion people could come up with any new and better ways to sharpen knives. I was hoping for some innovation, but..........

I went to DHGate, Chinese version of Ebay, and the source for all the clones. I did a search on "knife sharpeners". What did I come up with 3011 items for knife sharpener. A review of these items showed that it was the same basic 10 -12 American inspired clone items selling at 20% - 50% of the genuine article sold by a variety of Chinese vendors. How these vendors expected to make any money, by selling the same item and cutting each others throat financially, I don't know.

Were the items of better quality for a lower price, NO!

It would seem that the Chinese have learned some of the bad aspects of capitalism. Maximize your profit with no innovation, poor quality and watch the suckers come a running looking for a deal!

This brief look into the Chinese mind set on manufacturing, capitalism, etc would seem to make it clear they have a ways to go. Cheap labor and materials only take you so far.

I found this interesting, anyways. thoughts?
Click to expand...

All I know is that virtually everyone reading this thread is using a Chinese product...
 
gzb said:
All I know is that virtually everyone reading this thread is using a Chinese product...
Click to expand...

Not by choice, and not my knives.....

This is such a complicated and mostly political discussion. This is not the sub-forum to have it in.....
 
Here is the thing, we are at fault. Most of their manufacturing technology comes from USA, Japan/Taiwan and Germany. We gave them our technology in the pursuit of low cost goods. Every business person that works globally knows that you cannot own land in China, that is a fact. You are allowed to lease land from the government but they reserve the right to take that land at anytime, including what's on it. They don't do it because of the fear of crashing their economy, but they can.

Chinese companies have always lacked the engineering, design and creativity that other leading countries have. Once they do have the technology, they maximize it. Reverse molding, 3D scanners and published breakdowns make it too easy for them to take any IP they want.

I try to buy as much American manufactured products as possible, not just assembled in America. We need to bring the technology back to the USA. And I don't buy Reate knives, they copied shirogorov/sinkevich's collab. I don't buy knockoffs either. I hated seeing RJ Martin get his modulator knocked off and people justify buying the fake because, "LOL, I just wanted one bro, not going to pay full price, just as good duhhhh." Those guys can eat a big one, just my opinion.
 
The technology is in the USA, we need to bring the manufacturing back....

A country's wealth is defined by the health of it's middle class. The middle class is traditionally manufacturing based, and not service based. We need to fix that. We can't all be salesman....

If you say that the manufacturing is never coming back, then I will tell you that credit can't continue to fill the wage gap between minimum labor service jobs and the much better pay that comes with manufacturing.

Manufacturing will come back one way or the other, once credit becomes too expensive and corporations have nobody left to sell their garbage to, except the top 20%, something will give. The business of goods is based on volume.

Right now we are being fleeced for profit, but that can't last forever.

As disposable income declines, manufacturing in China will make no sense.

Once we have all been fleeced of every penny that we could make or borrow, the jobs will have to come back if they want to continue to sell to the biggest market on the planet.

China has a LONG way to go before it reaches our consumeristic status, longer than any corporation is willing to wait....
 
JR88FAN said:
The technology is in the USA, we need to bring the manufacturing back....

A country's wealth is defined by the health of it's middle class. The middle class is traditionally manufacturing based, and not service based. We need to fix that. We can't all be salesman....

If you say that the manufacturing is never coming back, then I will tell you that credit can't continue to fill the wage gap between minimum labor service jobs and the much better pay that comes with manufacturing.

Manufacturing will come back one way or the other, once credit becomes too expensive and corporations have nobody left to sell their garbage to, except the top 20%, something will give. The business of goods is based on volume.

Right now we are being fleeced for profit, but that can't last forever.

As disposable income declines, manufacturing in China will make no sense.

Once we have all been fleeced of every penny that we could make or borrow, the jobs will have to come back if they want to continue to sell to the biggest market on the planet.

China has a LONG way to go before it reaches our consumeristic status, longer than any corporation is willing to wait....
Click to expand...

In some ways I'd say they've surpassed us... There's a reason why many top companies are setting their sights on the Chinese middle class and not American.
Even American automakers.
 
Seilu said:
In some ways I'd say they've surpassed us... There's a reason why many top companies are setting their sights on the Chinese middle class and not American.
Even American automakers.
Click to expand...

Because they have a population that is three times the size of America....

But before they will be a major consumer of goods at anywhere near our level, they will have to pay their workers more, continue to build on 'creative communism' and somehow fix the crazy gap between the wealthy and the majority living in 3rd world poverty.

There isn't much of a Chinese 'middle class' it's more of what these companies think will happen. The same companies that so under pay these workers that they have little expendable income, let alone be considered 'middle class'


This is not a short term, or easy fix, and not one that the elite ruling class is all that interested in making happen.
Right now the top 1% of the Chinese population owns 1/3 off all the wealth. That is hardly a sign of a healthy consumer market, or much of a 'Middle class'

You have to remember, their wealth depends on incredibly cheap labor, I am not sure how long the workers will be willing to work for next to nothing. There has already been some issues at certain plants (Honda) where the workers demanded more, and got more.....but their 'more' is nowhere near enough to make them real consumers.

When very few people in any country get very rich off of the backs of the many, usually that leads to one thing, and I can see that one thing eventually happening in China.
 
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I believe that it is just a matter of time until China will implode. With a communist society there is not incentive to innovate, unless you are doing it for the benefit of the communist party. Communistic doctrine and free enterprise are like oil and water, very hard to mix. Just wait for times to get tough or new leadership thinking and the nationalization of industries to begin. Engineering and design capability generally lie outside the Chinese mainland. Look at the journey of Russia over the last several decades.

I've seen first hand what happens when you take drive and innovation out of the equation. A small company I used to work for was started out of his garage by the father. The father with drive and innovation built the business to one with 5 million dollars in annual sales. As time went by the son took over. The son always enjoyed the lifestyle the business provided. The son was only interested in the lifestyle not the business and within 10 years the business was gone. With out the drive and innovation, I'm not sure what you have. History will be the final judge on China.
 
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