Globalti
Legendary Member
Called in to see a business friend last night on the way home and found that he's now getting Scottish clan paraphernalia manufactured in China - ths is the belt buckles, the Sgian Dubhs, the metal bits of the sporrans, the cuff links and all the other stuff that probably sells mostly to sad American Scots. A cheapo stamped chrome-plated belt buckle with a thistle design costs about 20 pence and retails for about £20! He told me that soon the tartans will be woven in China - is nothing sacred?
It's clear to me that getting goods manufactured in China is not easy from a logistics and quality control then an ordering point of view, but the massive profits don't half make it worth the effort - eveything is driven by simple lust for profit.
Even my own employer was affected last year by the Olympics when the Beijing authorities closed down factories to reduce pollution. This caused some devastating shortages of basic feedstock chemicals, the repercussions of which are still echoing around the industry.
What exactly do we manufacture in Britain? Our biggest British-owned car manufacturer is LTI Carbodies who make London's taxis. The rest of our industry seems to be banking, insurance (possibly the only part of the financial services industry that hasn't discredited itself so far) and selling each other cups of coffee.
It's clear to me that getting goods manufactured in China is not easy from a logistics and quality control then an ordering point of view, but the massive profits don't half make it worth the effort - eveything is driven by simple lust for profit.
Even my own employer was affected last year by the Olympics when the Beijing authorities closed down factories to reduce pollution. This caused some devastating shortages of basic feedstock chemicals, the repercussions of which are still echoing around the industry.
What exactly do we manufacture in Britain? Our biggest British-owned car manufacturer is LTI Carbodies who make London's taxis. The rest of our industry seems to be banking, insurance (possibly the only part of the financial services industry that hasn't discredited itself so far) and selling each other cups of coffee.
</geek mode>
