My daughter has just taken delivery of a huge astronomical telescope, costing about £500, made in China that well known manufacturer of quality optical instruments.
Almost everything we sell in the shop is made in China. One item is made in France, but I have a Chinese prototype copy, costing about 1/5 the price.
The only thing I can find that is made in the UK is a cheap plastic crate I use - 3 for £1 in the pound shop - it was made in Nottingham!
Is British manufacturing reduced to what 'Made in Hong Kong', and 'Made in Taiwan' used to mean?
Can anyone tell me some QUALITY items which are made and engineered in the UK these days?
Even things made here are usually just assembled. I have nothing against other countries and I'm sure the stuff they make is great, but I does make me wonder how many skills are being lost here.
The mean reason is labour costs, but other issues include, location and maintenace cost ,etc. Why pay someone minimum wage here, when in somewhere else you can need to pay about 1/4 or whatever, of that
Burberry had a factory in the Wales and last year decided to move because it is so much cheaper elsewhere. It is part of the cycle, if you live in a strong economy, then it is cheaper to make something in a country where the economy/labour is cheaper.
The only things that come to made that I have that do not have "Made in China, etc" are my cycling clothes (Italy).
At least, we are not like the Americans. Gap have factories on islands that belong to the US but are close to Indonesia. They get cheap labour from Indonesia, teenage girls to work in their factories and make them work in worser conditions then in Indonesia. As the islands belong to the US, they can print "Made in USA"; often printed in bold so people can see it, when looking at the item in a Gap store.
I understand the economics of it, I just worry for the future economy of this country. There are pages and pages of jobs in the newspapers, but few of them actually produce anything or contribute to the economy. The jobs in the service industry encourage spending and not investment.
Lack of manufacturing will eventually result in the UK having a third world economy, with higher taxes to fund the trade gaps.
All these micky mouse jobs in the various levels of local and national and international government, and the lawyers who draw up the laws are all paid for out of taxes. It is a self perpetuating oligarchy.
