Darn Indian Knock Offs!

[cormacmacguardhe]

I have problems with off-shoring, jobs that used to be in one country, but have been outsourced to another country for bottom line business reasons. Speaking only for the USA, but I get the feeling that is is happening elsewhere. This country has lost a lot of jobs in many industries, mainly because industries have decided to find places where they can hire people for less, pay less in taxes, not have a lot of governmental regulations to contend with. All of this without regard for the workers in this country who will be unemployed. I am sure this is some of what is happening to the kiltmaking industry in Scotland, I try as much as I possibly can to buy products from companies that do not outsource, this is fast becoming an almost impossible task.
I do agree with those who have said that truth in labelling is the best thing, so that we know where and maybe who the object was manufactured by. Stepping down from small soapbox. :-x :-x

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Ranald and David,

Well said. I am all for truth in advertising, but consumers are going to buy what has the best value for them at the time. A traditional tank may well last 100 years and be the better value over the long term, but it is certainly a steep price tag at the outset. I think that most consumers, especially those with other expenses to consider, will trade off 100 years of service for a much lower price, and potentially shorter life span. This has been said many times before, but I can buy 3 UK's for the price of a tank, and probably 5-6 AK's or SWK's.

[bubba]

Lets have a look at labeling. You do know that the act of attaching the Made in USA label qualifies the product to say it's made in the USA. No matter what labelling laws you come up with manufacturers will find a dodge. In the long run all this offshoring will backfire as the manufacturers primary markets dry up for lack of disposable income. We're starting to see this in the retail sector already this year for Christmas spending and it was down last year as well. Retailers in the US are looking at a disasterous holiday season so far. New markets may open up but not in time to save the short-sighted companies that bugged out.

[MACKAY]

I think that it is worth mentioning that in time off shoring for low wages, no regulations, etc, will soon be a moot point.

In the 90's, in the IT industry there was a trend to send projects off shore for code writing, etc. There was also a trend to start moving call centers to Ireland and India as the companies could hire highly educated and skilled, but low paid employees. That worked for a while. Now, as we are entering 2006, doing so is no longer an economical quick fix. These sectors have begun to mature and the workers are now demanding better wages, better work conditions, and additional 'Western' benefits.

Now it is no longer a no-brainer to off shore. The prices are up, workers are unionizing, and the gap in costs to off shore work is really starting to narrow. Now a company who wants to off shore a call center is doing so to provide round the clock coverage, or to establish an international presence, not to save money.

I suppose that there will always be kncok off shops, and shoddy goods because there will always be Wal-Mart’s (low prices because we offer low quality) that are looking to make a buck. But the trend is showing that as these off shore industries mature, the prices and quality are starting to rise.

I am sure that in the next five years we will be able to purchase a 'Tank' from India that runs $400 and is worth every penny, while also being able to purchase the 'table cloth' for $40. What I suspect is that Vietnam or another Far East country will step in to fill the shoes left behind by those nations who are maturing in their industries. After all, in 1950 'Made in Japan" meant cheap, now it means quality ... INHO I feel the same thing is going on in the kilt industry.

Brian Mackay

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

And to add another comment, if the general public was really interested in keeping jobs "at home" they would be willing to pay the price for whatever that product is to compensate the manufacturers. However, the reality is that the average consumer, when buying almost anything, is more concerned with price than almost any other factor. The automotive industry saw this with the introduction of foreign cars that were of equal, or lesser quality, but cost much less. The public responded by buying the imports. As an example, take Stillwater Kilts, which I believe are made "off-shore". Would you be willing to pay more for the exact same kilt, in terms of construction and materials, but manufactured in the US of Scotland, as Jerry charges for the kilts he provides? The additional cost being solely the labor costs?

[GlassMan]

There was an article not too long ago in the Business section of the Washington Post about this topic. It asked if declining profits and sales at WalMart weren't because of the lower wages paid by WalMart to its employees and the loss of jobs in US factories because companies like WalMart were looking to cheap 3rd world factories for products instead of getting them at home.

The article made a very good point. If the workers here can't afford goods you won't make the sale no matter how low you go on the price. When Henry Ford wanted to expand the market for automobiles to the masses, one of the first things he did was start paying his workers astronomical wages for the time. But it worked, other manufacturers had to follow suit or lose their best people to Ford and in the process a working class that could afford luxury items was born and so was the modern consumer economy. But as more and more companies outsource jobs to 3rd world hell-holes in the search for "slave" labor the number of consumers here in the states that can afford their products is shrinking.

Thankfully this is starting to turn around. Not only are overseas laborers starting to demand better wages, but especially in call centers US customers are rebelling against talking to a non-US employee with very strong accents or poor English skills. That's why many call centers in India have been closed but those in Ireland have managed to survive longer even with the higher wages.

[Freedomlover]

Lets have a look at labeling. You do know that the act of attaching the Made in USA label qualifies the product to say it's made in the USA. No matter what labelling laws you come up with manufacturers will find a dodge...

Thanks for mentioning this. Many years ago, in the 50's, products began to turn up that were labled made in USA. And that was truthful--to a point. They were actually made in Usa, Japan. Caveat emptor.

[Kilted Stuart]

Any idea where Stillwaters are made.
There priced very low and come off the rack in basic non-custom sizes.
Until I find out there is a chance there mass produced in India or Pakistan. If they are, you can say anyone is allowed to take a import product and sell it as there own. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but a lot of buying is about knowing where things are from. Some of the knock- offs just don't mention a word. If nobody cares the'll sell there wares as is. If you buy then you can't be mad at the person selling that may be misleading you. You bought it.