Classe move to China

Trelja - Initiating this thread has opened up a fire hose of opinion and emotion. Wow!

Classe built their reputation by designing and manufacturing in Canada. Now some outsider CEO wants to improve profitability and moves manufacturing to China. Apparently the most recent components were designed by a fellow no longer with Classe (or B&W). Classe appears to be in the process of loosing its identity and probably a good chunk of sales - outside of China.

Most likely the big reason for moving to China: to access the Chinese market. Canada is a tiny market that Classe can afford to loose. BTW - if you want to sell into China, you had better be prepared to manufacture there.

Timrhu, just because A company failed doesn't mean Classe will fail. Ultimately their customer will let them know one way or the other.
Knghifi

Didn't say the company failed. In fact they moved production back to the original country (Sweden) until quality control issues were corrected.

The last $60,000 plus has been Detroit (2012 Ford Focus)
Elizabeth

Are you sure that Focus was built in the US and not Mexico? Check the label.

With all due respect ... the 'made in US, Canada, Europe vs made in Asia' arguments are inherently racist, as opposed to protectionist. From a purely economic perspective, buying a Rega Brio rather than a Prima Luna Prologue One is the same to me ... US dollars going to the UK are no different than US dollars going to China.

For however many Classe amps that are sold and the claims of the handfuls here that they will never buy a Chinese made Classe product ... what about the absolutely ZERO 'made in US' flat screen tv's, blu-ray dvd players, laptops, cell phones, etc. are there. That is where the real money is. Just how is everybody viewing this post without 'made in China' iMacs, Dells, iPads, etc.

I lived through this 45 years ago when the US electronics industry left the US for Japan (Zenith, RCA, Emerson, Marantz, Fisher, Scott, etc.). My dad, who owned a brick & mortar TV repair shop in Brooklyn, and I would go weekly to the public dump on Shore Parkway and scavenge for discarded electronics, because you could not get replacement parts shipped to the US. It is why Sears stopped repairing its own TVs in the late 1970's/ early 1980's.

None of this means that I like what is happening, but it is what globalization is all about.

Rich

Rich,

I agree with much of your statement, and for the most part I am a free trade proponent. However, I must disagree with one statement you made...that there is no difference in Us dollars going to the UK or to China.

If I have a choice when I buy a product, I would much prefer to spend money in the US. But if I buy foreign, I would definitely rather see money go to the UK- an open and free society- than to China, which is still an authoritarian, single party police state. That's not because I'm racist- its because I value freedom and intrinsic human rights.

Hi Dan:

It is why I prefaced the statement with ... from a 'purely economic perspective.'

More than China, I have problems with anything made in Vietnam. I remember all too well the yearly birthday drawing lotteries to see who would go over to fight in the war.

Rich


Rich