Importing from China

When ever I mention the fact about importing from China and other
countries I tend to get some mixed responses. There are still the die hard
"only buy when made in America" fans. Certainly it is very patriotic to think
this way, however it is a concept from classic industrial age thinking. Today
we are firmly entrenched in a world economy, and in that economy
businesses have to compete harder than ever before. When importing was
once termed a radical move, it is now almost an essential way to control
costs. But still when you mention the fact that something was made in
China, eyebrows still raise, why?

The Good and The Bad

I think there is a lot of speculation since there have been some products
that come out of China that have been questionable in quality. Part of this
problem is ourselves, we demand more and more things and want to pay
less and less for them. Businesses are attacked from all angles and the
quest for a decent profit margin seems all that matters. If demand is high
for cheaper goods than production will respond to meet it. In short, if
someone wants cheaply built products, chances you can find someone to
make them for you. Geography does not really apply. In almost any field
this seems to be relevant. China helps us cut costs and its up to us as
designers and manufacturers to help them give us qualitiy products. A lot
of people point their fingers soley at the Chinese, whereas a good look in
the mirror might solve most issues.

Labor:

Part of a global economy is knowing where you can cut costs, in some
countries certain natural resources are more plentiful. Labor also seems to
vary wildly as you travel the globe. Currently as of this article, Chinese
factory workers earn roughly .65 cents an hour. That is 1/40th of a typical
American worker. Inexpensive labor does not mean that the product has to
suffer, again if you guide the exporters in your designs you will have a
better control on quality.

Ethical

The Chinese are as ethical as anyone I have ever met in the USA. They
are a joy to work with and very respectful people. You can always find a
bad element in any area of the world. Take the fact for a thousand years
China was the source of nearly all the worlds finest goods. High standards
were common. Consumers demand high quality but there always will be the
business that wants to shortcut costs. Have pride in what your building and
it will serve you well.

Summary
So how does this serve you? Like I said before, if you design well, and find
a company that will make your parts or complete items to your
specifications, you will have no problems. I generally do not give the full
project to one company. There are companies that like to copy entire
designs and then sell them cheaper than you can buy them for. China
recoginizes good design too, so I reduce my chances by giving them parts
to create and then do the final packaging here in the states.

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Importing from China