From today's Investor's Business Daily:

"A.T. Cross will move pen production to China over three years to cut
labor costs. It'll cut 300 jobs and save $5 mil-$7 mil a year."

That would be about $16.67K / year per worker.

Just another data point.


Kevin Gallimore



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

axolotl wrote:
From today's Investor's Business Daily:

"A.T. Cross will move pen production to China over three years to cut
labor costs. It'll cut 300 jobs and save $5 mil-$7 mil a year."

That would be about $16.67K / year per worker.

The thing that I find odd is that they almost brag about it.
If I were in the market for a status pen, I'd want it made
in the US or possibly Western Europe, not China. Same
with the Maytag. I'd want it made in the US and not Mexico.
Not that I have anything against Chinese or Mexicans. I
just want some things made in the US and I'm willing to pay
the ten or 20 percent more that it would cost. These
companies are cutting their own throats.

I saw a lock back folding knife in Lowe's the other day.
Stainless steel and Aluminum construction,
uses a utility knife blade for the cutting edge.
I fell in love with it. At $9.99, I knew it had to be Chinese.
It was.
I would have gladly paid $30.00 for this knife if it were American made,
especially if it was on display next to the chinese one.


"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...
axolotl wrote:
From today's Investor's Business Daily:

"A.T. Cross will move pen production to China over three years to cut
labor costs. It'll cut 300 jobs and save $5 mil-$7 mil a year."

That would be about $16.67K / year per worker.

The thing that I find odd is that they almost brag about it.
If I were in the market for a status pen, I'd want it made
in the US or possibly Western Europe, not China. Same
with the Maytag. I'd want it made in the US and not Mexico.
Not that I have anything against Chinese or Mexicans. I
just want some things made in the US and I'm willing to pay
the ten or 20 percent more that it would cost. These
companies are cutting their own throats.

****.

_-_-

axolotl wrote:

From today's Investor's Business Daily:

"A.T. Cross will move pen production to China over three years to cut
labor costs. It'll cut 300 jobs and save $5 mil-$7 mil a year."

That would be about $16.67K / year per worker.

Just another data point.

Kevin Gallimore

-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 00:55:31 -0500, the renowned BEAR
wrote:

****.

I bet we'll see the prices drop dramatically too.
(Bwahahahahhhahhahahhhah!)

Their refill price doubled in the last few years so I tried out a
Taiwan made third party refill. Wrote nicely but they hadn't figured
out how to seal the other end. Leaked all over the place if you put
the pen in your pocket upside down. Staples sold them. At least they
are going to teach the mainland Chinese how to make a good refill and
we'll probably see GOOD replacement ones out of their in a few years.
That will screw both the workers AND the investors, but not *this*
quarter.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 10:24:19 GMT, Spehro Pefhany
wrote:


we'll probably see GOOD replacement ones out of their in a few years.
^^^^^ there

P.S.

I've got one of the more expensive ones that has had the pocket clip
overstressed so it is loose where it is crimped into the barrel.

Any idea how to fix this? It looks like there might be a sleeve rammed
into the inside of the barrel but I can't see exactly. If so, then
that sleeve would have to be somehow removed to get to the tabs or
whatever was holding the clip from the inside.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

"axolotl" wrote in message
...
From today's Investor's Business Daily:

"A.T. Cross will move pen production to China over three years to cut
labor costs. It'll cut 300 jobs and save $5 mil-$7 mil a year."

That would be about $16.67K / year per worker.

This is because you don't understand these things.

The factory will be canning $60K production workers and replacing them with
$6K per year production workers. The difference between $16.67K and the
$54K figures is therefore the bonus the bean counters pay themselves for
being so smart.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 10:01:33 -0800, the renowned "Roger Shoaf"
wrote:


"axolotl" wrote in message
...
From today's Investor's Business Daily:

"A.T. Cross will move pen production to China over three years to cut
labor costs. It'll cut 300 jobs and save $5 mil-$7 mil a year."

That would be about $16.67K / year per worker.

This is because you don't understand these things.

The factory will be canning $60K production workers and replacing them with
$6K per year production workers. The difference between $16.67K and the
$54K figures is therefore the bonus the bean counters pay themselves for
being so smart.

More like $1500 per year for the production workers. Plus overhead-
management, bricks and mortar, taxes, etc. of course.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

Hey Kevin,

Seems pretty silly of them to me. The only reason to BUY a Cross pen
is to give a gift showing American craftsmanship and "class". Who
will their market be then? Maybe the Chinese will love them. They
don't write any better than a BIC as far as I'm concerned.

Maybe they should get Chinese corporate management too. Gotta be
cheaper than paying US execs. Wonder what percent of the 300 heads
to roll is upper management?

Take care.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 21:23:27 -0500, axolotl
wrote:

From today's Investor's Business Daily:

"A.T. Cross will move pen production to China over three years to cut
labor costs. It'll cut 300 jobs and save $5 mil-$7 mil a year."

That would be about $16.67K / year per worker.

Just another data point.


Kevin Gallimore



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

Spehro Pefhany wrote:


I've got one of the more expensive ones that has had the pocket clip
overstressed so it is loose
Any idea how to fix this?


Send it back to Cross under the lifetime guarantee?

http://www.cross.com/askus_warranty.asp

Kevin Gallimore





-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

"axolotl" wrote in message
...
Spehro Pefhany wrote:


I've got one of the more expensive ones that has had the pocket clip
overstressed so it is loose
Any idea how to fix this?


Send it back to Cross under the lifetime guarantee?

That's why one buys a Cross. My ballpoint is over 20 years old and my Cross
fountain pen is older than that. All they need is a new one every five or
ten years. g

Ed Huntress

In article , Ed Huntress says...

That's why one buys a Cross.

Probably soon to be "bought."

My guess is the lifetime warrantly will
soon fade out.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 23:15:09 GMT, the renowned "Ed Huntress"
wrote:

That's why one buys a Cross. My ballpoint is over 20 years old and my Cross
fountain pen is older than that. All they need is a new one every five or
ten years. g

Lately, I've managed to lose one per year on the average. 8-( Thanks
for the suggestion (and the link), Kevin, I'll give it a shot. Even if
they charge a bit for a non-warranty repair it'll probably be worth
it.

As far as Brian's comment that they don't write better than a Bic, I
don't agree, the refills do write better, they don't blob and smear as
badly and the smooth wide trace from the Medium Blue (not the black
that comes with them) just seems to help with creative thinking on
squared paper. But you can get other pens that take Cross refills, I
have one that's made from some exotic hardwood. But it's not $75 US
better writing, more like $3 better. ;-) The rest is for look and
feel and a piece of nicely designed jewellery.

Perhaps their brand is strong enough it doesn't matter where they are
made, but to me it reduces their value to have them made offshore.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

In article , jim rozen wrote:
In article , Ed Huntress says...

That's why one buys a Cross.
Probably soon to be "bought."

My guess is the lifetime warrantly will
soon fade out. Jim

if not, don't expect them to repair or replace
with original quality. --Loren