Offshore parts interesting read
 

Engine builder magazine has an interesting read on offshore parts manufacturing if anyone is interested.
https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2019/06/a-look-into-manufacturing-in-china/

I probably posted in the wrong forum. Feel free to move it.

Interesting - thanks for sharing.

That was a good article, kind of what I've been thinking all along....it's all in the quality control.

Yep !

I've both wrenched on and flown in same red chinese fighter-trainer ... very good. Their makers have advanced Q capability.

Ultimately, it boils down to how much the customer is willing to pay ...
... that "customer" being the american businessman who contracts with the chinese to produce a lower-cost alternative. Crap quality is "our" fault.

RE: Those crappy electric/pneumatic power tools at those nationally-known, Kali-HQ'd storefronts ...
... I know (as in KNOW) they are systematically re-contracted & re-engineered ...
... by first one china maker, then another, and another & another ... notice them having slightly different part numbers for essentially same piece? ....
... how much cheaper than the other zillion Guangzhou manufacturers can you make this drill motor today?

Funny, I have been saying exactly what that article has written for years and always gotten shot down violently, especially here on these forums. I guess when someone puts it on a webpage and not in a forum response it suddenly becomes credible.

Great article! As a top tool maker, I have been involved in manufacturing since the late 60's, before the Chinese "invasion." The bulk of my experience was in the quality control area, building gages for the automotive and medical devise industries. As the nation's manufacturing started going overseas, quality was a huge problem. In some areas it still is. If the partnership uses Scat and Manley's approach the odds getting a superior part are greatly increased. As a consumer, if you buy solely on price, you will be disappointed. Dealing with a company that values its reputation is most important. All that aside, I still try to buy US made products, because I know it will help keep the jobs here, although it gets more difficult every day.

No kidding, eh?

Quote from the article: "The perception of Chinese product in some circles is that it’s low quality and the United States is automatically better. That may have been true in the beginning, but it’s not necessarily so today, say experts."

And it's a big circle in here.

I try as well. But it bothers me when companies plaster 'Made in the U.S.A.' with a flag on the package because, in my opinion, they're implying quality is better just because its Made in the U.S.A. There's so much crap made here.

There is so much crap made everywhere. The trick is to find a quality part, no matter where it comes from. That said, my first choice is ALWAYS to buy USA made simply because I prefer to keep my money domestically however if my choices are a median product made in the USA or a superior product made overseas then my money goes overseas.

The world is no longer steamboats and mail delivered on mules. We have a global economy now and it means that the global market is also available to us...for good or ill.

When looking for parts from anywhere, check to see if the manufacturer adheres to ISO 9001 standards. If so, your chances of getting a quality part just went WAY up, regardless of where it is made.

Hate to say it but ISO 9001 is no guarantee of a quality product either.

Unfortunately, in many cases, the bottom line is the only thing some companies are concerned about. I know of a defense contractor that falsified reports to uncle Sam. You know there's a problem when the FBI shows up at your business with a search warrant and hauls away your computers and files. In another instance, a friend was QC manager at a large business. One day the CEO called him to the office and told him he had to re-write some inspection reports because the company couldn't afford to correct the parts. He tossed his keys on the desk and walked out.

:iagree:

All it really means is that they follow their own procedures... which may inherently deliver bad quality. (I was an ISO 9000 auditor in a previous position)

I agree. I refuse to buy poor quality products, I will not reward companies who make crap just because its made in USA. But there're a lot of people who do. Recently I was looking for a crimping tool, something like linesman pliers. HD has the exact tool but 2 versions, one made of overseas and one USA made for $4 more, same manufacturer. The foreign tool was better. If your going to charge 15% more at least give me an equal quality product.

Some things we're simply incapable of making. Apple said our biggest problem is supply chain.

YUP!! The "procedure" could call for a tolerance of +/- 0.050" on a 1 inch part or +/- 0,005 on that part, depending on how good you want the part to be. And as long as you follow that tolerance, as called out in your procedure, you're good, by ISO definition.

And with respect to ISO procedures, I, too, was an ISO auditor where I worked.

:cheers:

I was an ISO 27001 auditor, but the process and the management system was always being compared to ISO 9000. Totally agree. You define your spec and then prove you can hit it reliably; if the spec is a crappy spec, you can still reliably produce bad quality and hang a cert on your wall / website... (And you set the scope of your cert to be VERY narrow as one small part of your business and then just tout that the "company" is ISO certified...)


Adam

exactly

gang, I never said it was a guarantee, only that it improved your chances of finding a decent part. If they adhere to SOME standards, generally that is better than the companies with little to no QC.