Anyone make quality tools anymore?

[oldag]

Yes.

What a lot of people don't realize, though, is that a huge mandatory part of the cost when you want top quality is paying for a team of your own people to be on site, watching the manufacturing, at all times.

As far as the Chinese are concerned, if you walk away and allow them to make your product without you looking over their shoulder, you've given them permission to cut all the corners they can as soon as you're out of sight. That's just normal business practice and they think we're weird for not understanding that.

My experience is with folks in electronics but I consider my sources trustworthy. They tell stories of the specified $5 capacitors in their designs being replaced with $0.15 units the second they turn their backs.

Yep. Exactly.

And if you have a proprietary product, they will make your orders on the day shift. Then the evening and midnight shifts will continue to turn out product which the Chinese will sell around the world at prices that undercut you.

 

[ILexpatriot]

Yes.

What a lot of people don't realize, though, is that a huge mandatory part of the cost when you want top quality is paying for a team of your own people to be on site, watching the manufacturing, at all times.

As far as the Chinese are concerned, if you walk away and allow them to make your product without you looking over their shoulder, you've given them permission to cut all the corners they can as soon as you're out of sight. That's just normal business practice and they think we're weird for not understanding that.

My experience is with folks in electronics but I consider my sources trustworthy. They tell stories of the specified $5 capacitors in their designs being replaced with $0.15 units the second they turn their backs.

An old fella back home bought a LARGE Chinese CNC lathe. Large as in 16' between centers, 36" over bed, and 10k+lb part weight. We all thought he was nuts. Idk what he paid for it, and I know he took 90% of of it apart checking and measuring. But when he was done the accuracy was incredible.
It would have been fantastic if the product he bought it for dried up almost immediately after he got it rolling.

 

[benenglish]

It would have been fantastic if the product he bought it for dried up almost immediately after he got it rolling.

Surely a tool that expensive can still make money as a rental?

 

[ILexpatriot]

Surely a tool that expensive can still make money as a rental?

It didn't work out for him. I used to stop by for a beer and he'd tell me he's been on the phone all day looking for work. Brokers, other shops, big OEMs... Nothing.
Edit to add. I think he ended up loosing his butt and sold it to a company that made fire plugs, and piping. Then he gave up on finding work for his 600 ton press, and sold it too.