Oh Dear ...

I just started a job at Microsoft Hardware. It's moving almost all its production to China -- though under supervision of US engineers.

Readers who believe that the ONLY reason any business exists -- or should exist -- is to make money, should read "Built to Last".

say

every

Shipping rates must have dropped or the price of these things shot up. At one time the freight cost of chipboard boxes, to the west, excluded that trade. Just cardboard boxes full of populated/ soldered and checked boards made economic sense. The wooden boxes then constructed over here

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

Look for them to move to Vietnam next. China is starting to price itself out of the market. Manufacturers are leaving there in droves, leaving behind a glut of industrial waste and rising unemployment.

Eventually there will be no 3rd World countries left. Maybe things will settle down then, but it might not happen in our lifetimes. Alternatively, WE may end up being the 3rd World.....

jak jak

Honestly I can see us being the third world some day.. Think about it What do we do?? Nothing? About all that I can find made in the USA is Sharpie markers, Solo brand disposable cups and plates, beer, and food.

ry

Hello:

What is more English than Wharfedale and they have been in China for years now. Too,too bad.

Bruce

Hello:

What is more English than Wharfedale and they have been in China for years now. Too,too bad.

Bruce

I think the *actual* question is what USED to be more English than Wharfedale? The name was sold years ago and it's now just a badge name for any piece of (s)crap. There is a very great deal of that now, which just plays on what were 'household names' to my generation, and my parent's generation. I still know many people who would automatically say "Oh Wharfedale ! That's a good make ... My dad used to have Wharfedale speakers " and so on. OTOH, Vox still is a British company with an - up to now anyway - uninterupted presence and manufacturing legacy in the UK, since they were founded.

I find it very sad that 'globalisation' has led to this situation, both here, and in the good old U.S. of A

Arfa

Quad had an unsurpassed reputation for UK made Hi-Fi - both for performance and service. Chinese owned now.

All our Warf PA gear, speakers and amps have Made In China stickers on them. We've had to send back a couple power amps for replacement under warranty.

I limey land, they are fixing to start paying $10.00 per gallon for gasoline. Sacred? cuhulin

another one bites the dust, as they say. we had this conversation a few years ago here! :

Your gallon is a little smaller than ours - 3.8 litres if I remember correctly what it says on the public toilet flush handles over there. We are currently paying around 1.05 GBP per litre, so that's 3.99 GBP per U.S. sized gallon. Call it 4 for easy numbers. Current exchange rate is about 2, so that's currently $8 per U.S. gallon, that we are paying for it over here.

I'm not sure where your "sacred" comes into it all. "Criminal" would be my word ... :-\

Arfa

No, you're thinking of the likes of the Bush brand.

The Wharfedale stuff is still repsectable and they still make speakers. If anything they've gone UPmarket since they're now doing pro-audio.

The current owners also bought the Quad and Mission brands. I suspect they're brought more imaginative management to these old companies.

Graham

They turned me down for the position of technical director at the age of 33 saying I was *too young*. That's the kind of attitude that kept them in the doldrums until were bought by IAG, the current ownes of Wharfedale too.

Graham

I can't imagine their power amps being anything special. Wharfedale never had any expertise in that area. They'll be stock design bought in (or copied) I expect.

Best to stick with what companies are good at.

Graham

And British politicians seem to delight in the fact that the UK is now a 'post-industrial economy'. Yet the twits still expect kids to leard engineering ! What for ? There's bugger all manufacturing done here any more. We don't even build P&O and Cunard's cruise liners, they're built in Germany, France and Italy.

Graham

Until a few years ago, Mackie equipment was made right here in Woodinville, WA. They eventually moved production to China in order to remain competetive. Even some Fluke meters are now Chinese made.

say

every

AFAIK the last electronic component manufacturer in Hampshire went belly up last month - well administration so far. That is component maker rather than boards etc - Cambridge Capacitors, Romsey

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

But at the mean-time, China are rebuked by the Euro and USA countries for what China have done such as too much surplus in foreign trade, it is not fair, think about one example-there are many worldwide car companies are setting up factories in China,these worldwide companies are enjoying the low human-cost and high-profit and "contribute" more and more surplus in trade for China , also which lead to more and more unsatisfaction coming from the Euro and USA governments which is the original of the car companies.

Perhaps just a polite way of turning you down?

I don't remember them ever being in the doldrums. If you mean stagnant. They were just a small family owned company which preferred to stay fairly small rather than go for growth at any cost.