View Single Post
  #52   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking,alt.home.repair,alt.fan.cecil-adams
Too_Many_Tools Too_Many_Tools is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,380
Default Pet Food, Toothpaste, Lead Paint, and now....

On Sep 16, 6:55 am, Uncle Monster wrote:
Ed Huntress wrote:
"Maxwell Lol" wrote in message
...
"Tom Gardner" writes:


China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.


Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good as
anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not
specifying
any QC, that costs extra.
So, Mattel forgot to spec "non-lead paint" on their toys?


A couple of anecdotal examples: our old friend Hamei, who manages (or did
manage) an aluminum-wheel plant in China, said that Chinese attitudes toward
quality were pretty poor, and that he had to stay on them all the time. In
another case, the manager of the Volkswagen plant in China said a few years
ago that Chinese quality was not good enough (yet) to make VWs in China for
the western market, but that it was getting better. Still another example,
an executive with Charmilles (a Swiss maker of machine tools) that builds
machines in China for the Asian market said their quality there was
"approaching" the quality of their production in Europe, but that it wasn't
good enough to supply the European or American markets.


On the other hand, there are some Chinese plants that are producing
world-class injection-molded parts, which means they're making world-class
injection molds. Those plants I've read about were managed by western or
Hong Kong-based management.


It appears to be a mixed bag, but the general level of quality is somewhat
less than we expect in the west.


--
Ed Huntress


When I was a kid, "Made In Japan" meant "cheap junk".
An American professor developed the science of quality
control, American companies blew him off, the Japanese
listened. Give the Chinese time, they're learning.

[8~{} Uncle Monster- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


They already are improving.

Over the last five years, I have seen ever improving quality in the
Chinese merchandise I buy.

In terms of tools, Harbor Freight actually has some good values in
respect to price and quality now.

And for what it is worth, I take all my portable power tools apart and
inspect their construction before using them. In all the time I have
bought HF, I have found only one loose electrical connection. The
finish and overall construction of the tools are more than
satisfactory for home usage.

Yeah it has surprised me too as to what they can build for what we
pay.

TMT