Using China in the future.

[grahamparker]

Has anyone had any thoughts of boycoting Chinese products and anything sourced/made in china when we return to work.

They have unleashed a Virus worldwide (intentional or not) and I personally do not wish to support them going forward in years to come. I also believe they have lied to cover up what was happening and the virus was here much earlier than they are saying. I have spoken to many who had a lot of the symptoms in December/January.

I do not believe in conspiracies but things do not add up in this outbreak and it could easily have been contained in China if we had all been made aware how bad things actually where plus the small amount of infection if any in Shanghai and Beijing begars belief when you look at how widespread it is elsewhere in the world.

For me Abus is a big part of my business and have been for years but apart from the Discus and Abus Granit range (still manufactured in Germany) They do have a chinese factory like many other suppliers and I hope they and many others will now consider moving production to somewhere else in the world.

 

[Mike at Vauxhall]

13 minutes ago, grahamparker said:

 

I do not believe in conspiracies but things do not add up in this outbreak and it could easily have been contained in China if we had all been made aware how bad things actually where plus the small amount of infection if any in Shanghai and Beijing begars belief when you look at how widespread it is elsewhere in the world.

That is pretty much how I feel, as for a boycott,

I think it would be just unrealistic, they just make too much. 

[rapidlocks]

many seem to want a boycot of china goods , until they want the cheap prices , just take car keys , how many out there especially the price cutters will stop using china diag and keys , if our trade suppliers boycotted china then they would have very little to sell , almost all trades now rely on cheap china . 

no matter how people feel now they will always go for the cheapest in the end.

[ironplanet uk900]

I've got mixed feeling to be honest.

Some of the stuff I use can not be sourced in the UK, I always try to used English made components in my leather work, as I think people like it.

But a fair bit I've found difficult to get here.

The stuff I do buy in the UK is more expensive,  but the quality is far superior. 

I dont think we have much choice unless we start manufacturing like we used to.

[Lee]

So because of someone else’s irresponsibility we are to bankrupt every factory and bring hardship to all the families from what are in the majority just businessmen who invested in a factory.

I personally won’t boycott a product just because it came from China. It would be lovely to buy something from the U.K. but with the minimum wage, work based pensions, maternity pay, sick pay etc etc etc few U.K. factories can compete on mainstream products.

[Mick Friend]

Until the good old english factory worker is prepared to put in a full day for about £50 we cannot compete, we do not have the skills, the factories, the machinery, the suppliers they have - it would take 5 years to come up to speed and quintripple costs- China is here to stay - 

[ponsaloti]

5 hours ago, Mick Friend said:

Until the good old english factory worker is prepared to put in a full day for about £50 we cannot compete, we do not have the skills, the factories, the machinery, the suppliers they have - it would take 5 years to come up to speed and quintripple costs- China is here to stay - 

We definitely have the skills Mick.  I personally know of 20 to 30 British engineers working abroad in Chine USA and across Europe who cant get similar work or pay in this country. We (in the past) have bred some of the best Engineers and Scientists in the world. Unfortunately the UK has lost them, they are chasing the $ but would happily return to chase the £ if it were here. 

15 odd years ago I was working in an engine plant 200 miles north of Shanghai. I asked for a compressed air feed to our machine and watch a Chinese pipe fitter throw a rope over the top of a roof truss. He tied it off to a forktruck, climbed the rope (wearing indoor slippers) done a bit of grinding and cutting (No PPE) and completed the job. I asked our interpreter what happens when these people fall out of the sky. Her answer was "we just send another one up the rope".                                                                                                                                                                   We cant possibly compete with China so, the only way I can see around it is to change the British psychi, as the germans did following WW2. Your Erick will go out of his way to buy German made goods if available. It's why there manufacturing plants are all over Europe and the world (apart from china and a couple of other places). Siemans or Grob or Tyssen Krupp would rather buy from a German competitor than buy foriegn.

I agree Mick, it's not going to happen.

 

[OS Keys]

I would really love companies to stop replacing  good British and European  locks with cheap alternates from china. The locks from Alibaba and Ali Express are the bane of my life trying to decode and find a suitable key blank. Customers assuming just because it has a number they can get a key for it. 

[rapidlocks]

the issue is as has been said , english workers demand a minimum level of wage , safe clean and warm working conditions , the best tools and equipment , paid holidays , sick pay , pension , health and safety etc etc etc , a safe place when offended and subsidised lunches , all of this comes at a cost which is reflected in the retail price of the goods .

china has none of this , wages are low , perks are non existent as is health and safety , you dont work you dont get paid , this makes what they produce very cheap , no uk factory could compete on price .

then you have the public , they want high quality for buttons , they want cheapest , if china product looks the same at half the price then this is all they see .

its a lovely idea , but one that just cant work , we became too reliant on cheap imports and throw away products .

look at it another way , folk here on forum always looking for cheapest supplier of this or that , plenty using china kit for doing keys and china keys as well , they buy these rather than buy quality kit from mainstream suppliers and oem keys , 1 because its cheaper , 2 because cheap is what the majority of customers want and 3 because they must compete with the cash in hand price cutters flooding the market , its the new normal , cheaper the better,

cream may always rise to top , but crap also floats very well too , and in current climate the desire for cheap increases , just look at facebook selling pages , rammed with cash in handers advertising , and people on facebook believe as on that holy grail it entitles them to cheaper still , thus the countless posts for " tradesment wanted , must work to the highest standards be top quality but must be cheap " , since when did cheap quality and high standards ever go together ?

until the new british culture changes which i doubt will happen , then cheap rules and the likes of china will thrive 

[ponsaloti]

We are all guilty.

[grahamparker]

I was not actually thinking of the UK manufacturing but maybe there are other cheaper options in the world such as  India, Africa, Scotland (calm down Jo it's a joke) and so on where labour is still relatively cheap but done in such a way that the workers benefit. I am sure there must be other options but the focus must be on helping the workforce benefit and not just fatcat owners but maybe I am just living in a dream world of my own.

[ponsaloti]

I definitely think we should now be looking to the commonwealth.