|
Post by jacquelope on Apr 18, 2011 1:59:35 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by unlawflcombatnt on Apr 18, 2011 6:18:39 GMT -6
An excerpt from the article:
"Virginia craftsman Byron Whitehurst designs the polystone busts of American presidents that line the shelves of a gift shop at the National Museum of American History. Priced at $20 each, the trinkets are a favorite among tourists, who buy about 1,200 a year.
But that was before a visiting senator picked up one of Whitehurst’s busts and noticed a small tag proclaiming “Made in China.” His angry reaction touched off a firestorm that has forced the Smithsonian to clear its shelves of many souvenirs and rethink how it stocks its popular gift shops.
Come July, Whitehurst’s lower-priced products — designed in Virginia but made in China — will no longer be sold at the third-floor gift shop near the history museum’s American Presidents exhibit. The Smithsonian Institution is converting the shop to sell only American-made products, an experiment that may mean higher prices for consumers but could pave the way for similar “Buy American” efforts at other Smithsonian shops."
Excellent development. Now we just need to expand this to a lot more items--like computers, electronics, appliances, tools, & office supplies.
|
|
|
Post by waltc on Apr 18, 2011 12:08:52 GMT -6
Scumbags like Whitehurst who out-sourced his polystone busts who are the real problem. The guy could have just as easily contracted it out to a small American firm.
But he didn't.
Why? Because he stood to make a lot more $$$ by using Chinese sweatshop labor.
And this goes on with new inventors all the time. All the fuckers want is to be a millionaire and they don't care if they have to use slave labor to get their big mansion, cocaine and fast cars. I see this all the time on those "success" stories on NBC where they profile businessmen who made it big. Everyone of them has outsourced.
|
|
|
Post by jacquelope on Apr 18, 2011 15:46:24 GMT -6
And this goes on with new inventors all the time. All the fuckers want is to be a millionaire and they don't care if they have to use slave labor to get their big mansion, cocaine and fast cars. I see this all the time on those "success" stories on NBC where they profile businessmen who made it big. Everyone of them has outsourced. The US Dollar is in big trouble right now. Outsourcing may become impossible very soon.
|
|
|
Post by unlawflcombatnt on Apr 18, 2011 19:58:28 GMT -6
Scumbags like Whitehurst who out-sourced his polystone busts who are the real problem. The guy could have just as easily contracted it out to a small American firm. But he didn't. Why? Because he stood to make a lot more $$$ by using Chinese sweatshop labor. And this goes on with new inventors all the time. All the fuckers want is to be a millionaire and they don't care if they have to use slave labor to get their big mansion, cocaine and fast cars. I see this all the time on those "success" stories on NBC where they profile businessmen who made it big. Everyone of them has outsourced. Well said. I agree completely. (I was kinda thinking the same thing when I read the post initially, but ran out of time to read the article itself.) It certainly IS guys like Whitehurst who are the very source of the problem--not the victims. Whitehurst got exactly what he deserved, as have many other whiny little dirtballs who've allegedly been "victimized" by intellectual property theft--mainly because they'd already outsourced their production and IP to China, making it much easier to steal.
|
|
|
Post by waltc on Apr 18, 2011 21:50:45 GMT -6
Here's a clear cut case of IP theft. In this case Fellowes stationary. Seems the greedy execs decided to partner with the Chinese who promptly stole their designs right down to the serial numbers and the manufacturing equipment. Now they are whining like little children and can't figure out why their cost cutting moves wrecked the company. Link: www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china/american-stationary-giant-brought-to-its-knees-in-china-54204.htmlmanzullo.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=233226Excerpt from first link: here are few paper shredders in the world that can rip an A4 piece of paper into 2,000 pieces, and come with functions like SilentShred, SafeSense, and “100% Jam Proof”—and most that do have the name “Fellowes” printed on top. But consumers may soon be able to buy, say, the deluxe Powershred C-480Cx, without the Fellowes brand, because the company’s entire business in China has been stolen by its joint venture partner.
Over 1,600 workers at the joint venture facility in China turned up one day in August last year to find that the factory gates were locked, trucks had blockaded the entrances, and a group of rough-and-ready enforcers were telling them to move on.
And some days later, in the dead of night, a truck entered the facility and stole some of the million-dollar manufacturing tools used to make the shredders, some of which weigh several tons. The joint venture partner “proceeded to destroy our business,” according to James Fellowes, the CEO, at a Congressional Hearing on March 31.
Now on the Fellowes Inc. company website several of the personal shredders and all of the commercial shredders are accompanied by a “Limited Supply” icon, and a note by James Fellowes, CEO of the firm, humbly apologizing that the company “is unable to produce some of its shredders which are made in our primary manufacturing operation in China.”
Fellowes’ paper shredders are a US$168 million business, and when the company was taken over in China it lost US$100 million, according to Fellowes.
James Fellowes is the third generation owner, a descendant of Harry Fellowes who started the company in 1917 with $50 making Banker’s Boxes. Before the recent takeover in China the company employed 2,700 workers in 16 countries, including 625 in the U.S.
It introduced its patented line of paper shredders in 1982, and in an attempt to cut costs it was an early entrant to the China manufacturing scene.
Fellowes, the man and the company, won’t talk about the case except for a public Congressional testimony. But The Epoch Times spoke with a number of people familiar with the matter, under condition of anonymity because of political sensitivities involved. Joint Venture
CEO: James Fellowes, CEO of Fellowes Inc., who has lost $100 million in China after his business was stolen by his Chinese joint venture partner. (Matthew Robertson/The Epoch Times) In 1998 a former Fellowes employee struck a deal with a company called Jinsen, in Changzhou, China, to manufacture paper shredders. Later a second business, called Jinxun, was formed. In the beginning they made a cheaper line of shredders.
Both companies are owned by the Zhou family, specifically the two brothers Zhou Liqun and Zhou Licheng. The Zhou’s are well connected politically.
Business went well, and in 2006, meaning to expand the enterprise in China, Fellowes established a joint venture with Jiangsu Shinri Machinery Co., Ltd., or just “Shinri,” in Changzhou. Shinri is owned by the Zhou family, part of the New United Group conglomerate, also owned by the Zhou family.
Shinri is one of the largest machine tool manufacturers in China, and the conglomerate also includes companies like Jiangsu Xinyu-Wind Power Equipment Co., Ltd., one of the largest domestic producers of wind power equipment.
Joint ventures are one of the ways that foreign firms can do business in China, often understood as the price of market entry. The Chinese side typically provides the land, labor, and local contacts, while the foreigners provide the tools and know-how.
The two manufacturers, Jinsen and Jinxun, would continue churning out shredders with the Fellowes’ name, using Fellowes’ proprietary machinery, while Fellowes controlled both those companies because it appointed the management, according to the terms of the joint venture agreements.
With business stable, Fellowes poured money into research and development in the United States and China, upgrading the engineering finesse that makes the products “The World’s Toughest Shredders.”
Things went smoothly for three years. High-quality shredders flowed out of Changzhou and money flowed into Illinois. The joint venture also stipulated the generous remuneration of over 100 percent on investment, every year, paid on time to Shinri, according to people familiar with the details of the contract.
At the height of the enterprise Jinsen was making tens of millions of dollars and was allowed to use new product designs and technologies for free. Over 1,600 people were employed.
|
|
|
Post by unlawflcombatnt on Apr 18, 2011 22:22:23 GMT -6
James Fellowes is the third generation owner, a descendant of Harry Fellowes who started the company in 1917 with $50 making Banker’s Boxes. Before the recent takeover in China the company employed 2,700 workers in 16 countries, including 625 in the U.S. It introduced its patented line of paper shredders in 1982, and in an attempt to cut costs it was an early entrant to the China manufacturing scene. Another case of an un-American outsourcing globalist getting exactly what he deserved. "the company employed 2,700 workers in 16 countries, including 625 in the US." As far as I'm concerned, that makes them a foreign company who should have 100% Tariffs levied on everything they sell in the US. We need to put high Tariffs on products that have ANY part of their manufacturing chain located abroad. Letting companies slide who have just their final assembly in the US is not OK. Letting companies slide that have but a fraction of their production here is not OK. My view is, with a few exceptions (like oil), if you don't make it in America, you can't sell it in America. That giant "whooshing sound" described by Ross Perot is just as loud as ever.
|
|
|
Post by jacquelope on Apr 19, 2011 21:33:46 GMT -6
Here's a clear cut case of IP theft. In this case Fellowes stationary. Seems the greedy execs decided to partner with the Chinese who promptly stole their designs right down to the serial numbers and the manufacturing equipment. Now they are whining like little children and can't figure out why their cost cutting moves wrecked the company. I'm crying for them. Really, watch me play my violin. Really, that's a violin. It's really tiny but it's a violin!!
|
|