"Charlie Self" wrote in message
...
Swingman notes:

In the case of Widget A, the company making its product cheaper is stil
marketing it's good name with an inferior product (the Unisaw fits here).

Defense: Buy used!

It's very sad.

You're right about that!

The biggest problem with that defense is that at some point, sooner rather
than
later IME, you're buying used in the cheap **** category, and we're all a
lot
worse off.

I do not know what the answer is, but it may have something to do with
longer
term planning for companies, or for less widespread ownership that is
better
known. When the owners were family, more products stood the test of time
because the family reputation was based on their service and honesty.
Today,
the only thing based on the product is the profit margin for the next 90
days.
Long term planning is done for this time next year.

An example is the Jayco line of RVs. founding family brought in a new
management team about 8 years ago that lowered quality on which the company
was built and prided itself, ****ed off the work force andembarassed the
dealers. The family resumed control and has spent 5 years or so trying to
regain the company's reputation.

I fear that won't happen with Delta, a publicly traded company. What may
very well happen is that the Chinese, who learn very fast and have modern
production facilities and a motivated work force, will produce tools for an
expanded marketplace. Chinese demand for cars is already partly responsible
for the increase in gas prices worldwide. According to Paul Leinert, a very
experienced auto writer in the latest Automobile magazine, "the market (in
China) is expected to double by 2012, then double again before 2020, to 16
million cars a year, about the current size of the U.S. market." After that,
China will be the largest market for cars in the world.

The implication is that growing affluence will satisfy a huge demand. That
affluence will come in part from China's plan to become the world's machine
shop. Watch for some very interesting competition.

Bob