http://www.ttigroup.com/business/bra...0bdf5aa3e07dae
76124a967

The design may be different, but they are manufactured by the same Chinese
factory.

Reluctantly, I'm taking Milwaukee off of my preferred list of tool makers.
(It's getting pretty short!)

Sparky

On May 9, 11:30 am, SparkyGuy wrote:
http://www.ttigroup.com/business/bra...7fbd3dd60bdf5a...
76124a967

The design may be different, but they are manufactured by the same Chinese
factory.

Not so...see

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/us/en/a...s?OpenDocument

Reluctantly, I'm taking Milwaukee off of my preferred list of tool makers.
(It's getting pretty short!)

Suit yourself, but it's a shortsighted and uninformed choice.

According to dpb :
On May 9, 11:30 am, SparkyGuy wrote:
http://www.ttigroup.com/business/bra...7fbd3dd60bdf5a...
76124a967

The design may be different, but they are manufactured by the same Chinese
factory.

Not so...see

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/us/en/a...s?OpenDocument

Er:

http://www.ttigroup.com/customPages/...7da7612 4a967

Quote:

Techtronic Industuries acquired the Milwaukee. brand and businesses in 2005

TTI (HQ'd in Hong Kong) _owns_ Milwaukee. And, AEG, Ryobi, Hoover and Dirt Devil.

Then from

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/us/en/a...s?OpenDocument

Quote:

Milwaukee's power tool and accessories are also manufactured to its exacting
standards in modern facilities in Europe and throughout the world.

I think "throughout the world" probably includes China.

As with most consumer products, there really are only a few companies making
them. There's often quite a difference between the brands. Other times,
none at all.

--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

"Chris Lewis" wrote in message


Er:

http://www.ttigroup.com/customPages/...7da7612 4a967

Quote:

Techtronic Industuries acquired the Milwaukee. brand and businesses in
2005

TTI (HQ'd in Hong Kong) _owns_ Milwaukee. And, AEG, Ryobi, Hoover and
Dirt Devil.

Then from

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/us/en/a...s?OpenDocument

Quote:

Milwaukee's power tool and accessories are also manufactured to its
exacting
standards in modern facilities in Europe and throughout the world.

I think "throughout the world" probably includes China.

And that may or may not matter. Just because it is made in China does not
mean it is low quality.

On May 9, 1:48 pm, (Chris Lewis) wrote:
According to dpb :

On May 9, 11:30 am, SparkyGuy wrote:
http://www.ttigroup.com/business/bra...7fbd3dd60bdf5a...
76124a967

The design may be different, but they are manufactured by the same Chinese
factory.

Not so...see

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/us/en/a...adquarters-and...

Er:

http://www.ttigroup.com/customPages/...SSID=f7fbd3dd6...

Quote:

Techtronic Industuries acquired the Milwaukee. brand and businesses in 2005

TTI (HQ'd in Hong Kong) _owns_ Milwaukee. And, AEG, Ryobi, Hoover and Dirt Devil.

Then from

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/us/en/a...adquarters-and...

Quote:

Milwaukee's power tool and accessories are also manufactured to its exacting
standards in modern facilities in Europe and throughout the world.

I think "throughout the world" probably includes China.
....

And from the link I previously posted -quote -

"Milwaukee is headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin, which is also
home to research, new product development, manufacturing support,
marketing, sales and information systems. It has modern production
facilities in Greenwood, Jackson and Kosciusko, Mississippi;
Blytheville, Arkansas and Matamoros, Mexico.

Milwaukee's power tool and accessories are also manufactured to its
exacting standards in modern facilities in Europe and throughout the
world. In 2001, the Milwaukee brand was launched in Australia by
Milwaukee's sister company AEG, located in Winnenden, Germany and was
re-launched in Europe and the rest of the world in 2002. ..."

I didn't say the were _only_ made in US, and, if you'll note the quote
you posted includes the key world "also". It's pretty clear the
products for SE Asia/Australia/etc. markets are produced outside the
US and the European are at least partially produced there.

If you'll also look at the TTI web page you'll find a message that
brand loyalty and identification is a key business strategy and that
they have a very deliberate idea of marketing to the full range of
customers and price ranges as an overall company and that all products
are not designed for all markets.

Search for a thread only a few weeks ago where I posted a significant
more detailed analysis in response to another poster's questions about
Milwaukee. There's quite an interesting story in there as I learned
while doing quite a bit of research a year or so ago in order to
evaluate the company as investment opportunity/merit...they're not the
ordinary stereotypical "Chinese startup" kind of outfit by any means
despite having some production in China and Ryobi being their initial
product...

On May 9, 4:15 pm, dpb wrote:
....
...they're not the
ordinary stereotypical "Chinese startup" kind of outfit by any means
despite having some production in China and Ryobi being their initial
product...

Sorry, didn't say that right -- they started supplying products
primarily to Sears, then started the Ryobi and generated the
sweetheart deal w/HD with it and parlayed that into what they
currently are rather than Ryobi first. But they knew specifically
what market they were after w/ Ryobi and it wasn't/isn't
Milwaukee's...

If I may sound off on this one,
Personally where the tool is manufactured weighs in little for me. As
much as I would prefer to buy American or Canadian, (keep our boys
working) QUALITY will be my sole decider. I know China has meant, and
in some cases still means cheap crap and deeper still human rights
issues, etc. But the world is headed in that direction. And better and
better stuff keeps coming from that manufacturing juggernaut know as
cheap labor China. Often they are our companies, exploiting the labor
cost difference. Anyway that said, I have been a BOSCH fan for years.
I've recently been displeased with a few of their newer tools, but the
Mitre Box for example, well... IMHO ,I dont think theres a better one
on earth at any price point. I love mine.

According to dpb :

I didn't say the were _only_ made in US, and, if you'll note the quote
you posted includes the key world "also". It's pretty clear the
products for SE Asia/Australia/etc. markets are produced outside the
US and the European are at least partially produced there.

You may be construing that I'm against tools made in China simply
because they're made in China. Not so. They may be, or they may not,
that really doesn't enter into my tool preferences.

It's by no means clear whether there is any regional affinity between
manufacturing location and market. It simply doesn't say.

The reality is that companies strive for the cheapest possible
manufacturing costs consistent with keeping/gaining market.
"Milwaulkee" is an important name, so for long term viability they
have to keep the quality that they're famous for. Which means
"higher end" design (eg: more rugged tools by design), and good QA.
They're going to pick the cheapest place to manufacture consistent
with the QA. If they can maintain the desired QA in China, they're
going to make it in China. Especially if they're Chinese. Anything
else makes no business sense.

Further, manufacturing devices like this draws on all sorts of parts.
Chances are that various parts are made by different companies
in different countries, and assembly might be somewhere else entirely.
Again, under the QA management they figure they want and can achieve.

I'd _prefer_ to buy locally manufactured stuff (which for me isn't
the US), but if it doesn't meet my price-quality requirements, I won't.

I have tools that were made in China. And tools made just down the
street by Lee Valley. I decide what I need/want vs price, and pick
the best match. Sometimes a cheap crappy tool fits my needs better
than a high priced high quality one.

If you'll also look at the TTI web page you'll find a message that
brand loyalty and identification is a key business strategy and that
they have a very deliberate idea of marketing to the full range of
customers and price ranges as an overall company and that all products
are not designed for all markets.

I saw all of that, but, remember, manufacturing _location_ has
relatively little bearing on any of it. China produces some very
high quality stuff, as well as crap. Every country is like that.

Search for a thread only a few weeks ago where I posted a significant
more detailed analysis in response to another poster's questions about
Milwaukee. There's quite an interesting story in there as I learned
while doing quite a bit of research a year or so ago in order to
evaluate the company as investment opportunity/merit...they're not the
ordinary stereotypical "Chinese startup" kind of outfit by any means
despite having some production in China and Ryobi being their initial
product...

Obviously. Neither is Rexon. Purchasing a company like Milwaulkee
is an expensive proposition simply because of its brand. It would
be stupid to buy Milwaulkee and then let its quality and reputation
go down the toilet.

The fact that Milwaulkee is/is not made in China really doesn't
matter to me. What matters is whether one of their tools is
consistent with my needs/expectations. Unfortunately for Milwaulkee,
I don't need any of those tools at the moment (and the B&D store
where I bought my rebuilt Dewalts cheap is just around the corner ;-)
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

On May 11, 8:34 am, (Chris Lewis) wrote:
According to dpb :

I didn't say the were _only_ made in US, and, if you'll note the quote
you posted includes the key world "also". It's pretty clear the
products for SE Asia/Australia/etc. markets are produced outside the
US and the European are at least partially produced there.

You may be construing that I'm against tools made in China simply
because they're made in China. Not so. They may be, or they may not,
that really doesn't enter into my tool preferences.

It's by no means clear whether there is any regional affinity between
manufacturing location and market. It simply doesn't say.

No, I was just responding to what seemed like a claim that what I had
posted was in error and an inferred attempt to indicate that there was
no US manufacturing...if that wasn't the intent/purpose, ok.

It seems fair to me to assume that since Milwaukee built a large
fraction of their tools for the US market in the US before the buyout
and those facilities are still in operation that they're still
producing for the US market in the US. While undoubtedly they're
bringing in parts from all over for assembly, doesn't seem at logical
to ship from overseas to the US and then back to, say, Australia when
could build for that market much closer...

On May 9, 2:48 pm, (Chris Lewis) wrote:
As with most consumer products, there really are only a few companies making
them. There's often quite a difference between the brands. Other times,
none at all.

Sometimes they're hybrids. I've bought some different brands of window
air conditioners in the past few years; it's obvious that the
mechanicals are all the same (probably LG), but the control panels are
all different; the LG one has old fashioned knobs, another one is
digital, another one is digital with a remote.