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What do you think about China

I'm writing a business analysis report for a class and I'm planning to do it on the industry practice of making boards in China. I'm curious what people think about it. Well i know what most people think about it, but tell me again. I'm covering a lot of aspects of it like the pros/cons, costs/benefits, marketing strategies of companies who produce boards domestically, and things of that nature. Theres not a whole lot of info available on this subject in the library, so input from anyone who knows a thing or two about it would be much appreciated.
Theres also the thing about how companies who do produce in China ought to pass the savings on to the consumer. I'm also curious how much money board companies are saving by producing overseas.
If anyone wants to put me in contact with someone who would be helpful to talk to that would also be helpful. Again, any interesting info would be great. Thanks to all! Send me an email if you want. dvk46x@yahoo.com

By dvk46x at 10/02/2006 - 12:08pm | dvk46x's blog | login or register to post comments

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holy crap...

There is an awful lot of bullshit here for someone just trying to get a bit of research here. No need to hate on each others thoughts. No hippy talk. As far as production in China, any so called company these days is trying to make a buck. Unless we are all rich f-ers then we need to outsource to somewhere that we can create a profit. There is no way around the fact of low pay but what are the costs of living in China? Is it high? I guess we need some george Bushie type guy over there. He seems to be a smart person.puke.
Pura Vida- josh Malay RIP

By mark koelker at Sun, 10/08/2006 - 9:13am | login or register to post comments

///

no hate, just a lot of sarcasim and thoughts that roll off the tongues.

Craig Kelly Forever.

The McRad Slide
By JAF at Sun, 10/08/2006 - 9:35am | login or register to post comments

all this talk

all this talk about china is making me hungry.........mmmmmm chinese food

By patrick martin at Wed, 10/04/2006 - 11:29am | login or register to post comments

///

just make sure you are eating legit chinese food, like panda express.

Craig Kelly Forever.

By JAF at Wed, 10/04/2006 - 11:43am | login or register to post comments

Share the savings...come on now....

Ok I'm going to break this down as simply and briefly as I can, and if anyone disagrees with any info feel free to poke.
Let's get rid of the obvious, LABOR. The average wage of a precision production worker in the US is about 19.50 an hour. I have an article here that says the average minimum wage in China works out to about $75-$95 a month, which can be rounded to about 65 UScents an hour. So labor alone is about 30 times cheaper. I actually have an article here out of Future Snowboard. Tracey Canaday from Neversummer states that it takes them about 2.5 hours to make a board, and to round the wage down to $15 an hour it's about $40 a board whereas in China, at a high paying factory labor for each board would be about $5.
I can't help but assume that some of the higher volume factories in China such as Burton and Ride are finding faster ways to make boards so that the 2.5 hour production time is reduced signifigantly.

MATERIALS. Honestly I'm not sure how the cost of materials is affected by moving to China. I guess a good place to start would be to research possible cheaper sources for patroleum based products out there. As of today the price of oil is at $63 a barrel, not too bad considering it was at $78 in July, dismal considering it was about $20 in 2002. But I digress...

QUALITY. This is up in the air as well at this point, in my opinion. Chinese quality has never had a good reputation. At the shop we get in more Burton bindings for warranty issures than any other binding. Whereas Salomon, which is made in France, to this day I can count on one hand how many snowboard bindings have come back. Companies which use Chinafacturing say it gives them more opportunity to concentrate on the design of the product. If you ask me, I'd rather have the same people that design the product be a major contributor to it's fabrication as well.

This is way too long for a forum post. In sumation, of course it's cheaper to manufacture in China. Do you retain or gain quality, I don't think so. I hate the idea personally. All those jobs, all that pride and integrity, it's all thrown down the drain for seemingly just greed. However, if Chinafacturing meant the cost savings would be passed directly to the worldwide market of consumers I would support it because the lower costs of buying the product would make it more affordably accessed by more people. It would cause the sport to grow that much more, as well as allow enthusiasts to really create a quiver without having to drive an 88 Celica with Duraliner instead of paint.

Ok I'm getting sick of typing. Hope this spurs a good exchange...

Sea, Snow, and Scotch....

By Surfnsnow at Mon, 10/02/2006 - 6:54pm | login or register to post comments

///

good post.

can you scan-in that future snowboarding article? i'd be interested in reading that.

Craig Kelly Forever.

By JAF at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 7:18am | login or register to post comments

scanner....

I've been trying to get ahold of a scanner that works but no luck. My sick 2002 Dell laptop here is so loaded with crap and work crap it gets bogged down by flash adds anyway, nevermind trying to use the USB.
It's in the fall'06 issue of Future Snowboard Trade News.

Sea, Snow, and Scotch....

By Surfnsnow at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 7:25pm | login or register to post comments

I

think the day of china making crap is coming to an end. In my eyes, china is becoming a major threat in the global market ( this is obvious ). There are actually factories making good shit. And yes it's cheap, that's how you steal business. A better product for less. That's called business. I dealt with a chinese manufacturer recently. I will say, they were the most solid people I have worked with. This was all through email, to someone who barely could write english. Like me. The products turned out sick, and yes they were cheaper. Anyway, I think it comes down to this...Once you start looking closely, you will find that the shoes on your feet, the button on your ps2 controller, and the CDs you are burning Hooty and The Blowfish on, are all made in china. Take a look at your waterproof jacket. It's made in china. You know why? Because the shit they spray on it to keep you dry while you're frolicing in the snow, is so toxic, china is the only place you can get away with it. So while your bashing this brand or that brand for making boards in china, take a quick second to find a quiet place to kill yourself. Because by default, you and me as humans are destructive creatures. People bitch about snowboarding being too expensive, then they bitch about shit being made in china. So quit snowboarding, find yourself a nice hippy commune, buy a water filter, quit wearing shoes, and pretend it's the stone age. Where everything is barder, nothing is made of plastic, no more cell phones, and nothing is made in china. Then you can bitch about how your feet hurt, you're bored, and you have to hike out in the rain to kill some food. We have it so fucking easy these days. So stop pulling on the thread, if you will. Anyway, I'm pretty baked.

By bluebird at Mon, 10/02/2006 - 7:41pm | login or register to post comments

baked willie

all your shit is made in china. including this song...........

smoke with willie.mp3

By weknowsnow at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 7:30am | login or register to post comments

jp

i thought we were friends.

By bluebird at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 7:34am | login or register to post comments

finger mustache

"...my parties over before it began..."

By weknowsnow at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 8:05am | login or register to post comments

Interesting way to interpret

Interesting way to interpret what I said. So if it's not made in China, it can't be made anywhere else which means we'd all be hippies with incredibly bad music taste. And also, getting baked and driveling obtuse banter into a formerly civil conversation is an impressive show of credibility.
I guess those annoying stereotypes snowboarders sometimes put up with have to come from somewhere.

But anyway...

Sea, Snow, and Scotch....

By Surfnsnow at Mon, 10/02/2006 - 8:28pm | login or register to post comments

sorry broseph.

I thought the topic said, "What do you think about China?" I didnt mean to state my opinion or anything. And dont be so sensitive, I wasnt even talking directly back to you. I really hate to break your game bro, but the internet is not my choice location of a civil conversation. I mean it's a great place for a guy like you to make friends, maybe a chance to really make yourself sound smart, but If you really want to have a "civil conversation", invite all your turtleneck wearing buddies over for some scotch and you can all talk about how "credible" you are. Then you can brag about your vacation you had out in Jackson Hole and how me and all my friends obtusely bantered all your girlfriends. . What stereotypes? The ones that make snowboarding look like a preppy deuchebag sport. That was your fault.

By bluebird at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 5:25am | login or register to post comments

c'mon mang

Then reply to the original post ("Add Comment" feature at the top) and not directly to his message via the "reply" button.

By 66jzmstr at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 6:09am | login or register to post comments

bruce lee was made in china

and he kicked serious ass !!!!!!!!!! buy from china, home of bruce lee

By trichards at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 12:47pm | login or register to post comments

From one masshole to another

Mr. Richards, sir, if I may bother you for just a moment... You crack me the fuck up. Bruce Lee, Master Yoda and Craig Kelly forver. Thanks for the laugh man.

By 420shred at Sat, 10/07/2006 - 7:36pm | login or register to post comments

///bruce wree

is that o-matic's company moto? if not, it should be.

Craig Kelly Forever.

By JAF at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 1:19pm | login or register to post comments

surfnsnow

obviously doesnt know me. he takes this shit way too seriously. heres the personal one he just wrote to me...hes actually pretty funny

instead of filling the post with this crap i figured i'd just send one to you. You're very quick to assume generalizations which are so far off from accurate I had to re-read portions of what you said to make sure what you were even talking about. This whole little hissy fit is annoying. I see your point, you were even partially right about what few facts were in it. What ever you have against people who actually think instead of spewing ignorant shit is your problem. You'll discover scotch one day when you're a big boy.
Fckn turtleneck, that's some funny shit. You know, I think I'm going to bring back the turtleneck now that you mention it, a yellow turtleneck with purple Skids. Watch for it.
Ok whatever, agree to disagree is what it comes down to i guess.
Tell china i said hello.

By bluebird at Tue, 10/03/2006 - 4:51pm | login or register to post comments

China

Hey. I have some friends who were made in china... Pretty cool guys, not nearly as cool as Bruce Lee though.

Hey Willie, If China calls and asks for Craploads of wax, I am the rep on the account.... I have to feed my crack and hooker habit.

By Gramata at Wed, 10/04/2006 - 11:01am | login or register to post comments