[Johnny2Bad]

There is an interesting article in one of the Fashion Trade websites about Donald Trump branded ties. To get the benefit you must, of course, ignore the political implications and read between the lines. I realize that some readers cannot do that, so perhaps the value will be lost with some.

None the less, it outlines the rise of the Chinese necktie manufacturing industry (in 1995, the majority of the world's quality neckties were made in a small region of Italy) and the fall ... the city in China that destroyed the Italian tie manufacturing town's economy is currently in the process of abandoning neckties (sales worldwide are falling due to changing tastes in business attire) and moving into electronics.

I'll see if I can dig up the link.

[Johnny2Bad]

Found It:

http://www.racked.com/2016/10/5/13165868/donald-trump-china-factories-neckties

[charmerci]

 Wages in the PRC for an uneducated labourer or farm worker averaged $2.33/hr (Chinese Official Statistics) in 2014.


It is NOT wages that drive the dominance of Chinese manufacturing in the electronics industry.

Though you make some other very good points, I'm sure manufacturing would come back to the States in a BIG way if people were willing to work for $5/hr!

[SteveFord]

Switching over to the more lucrative audio business.
That sounds like real bad news for the US and European manufacturers. 

Odd to read about Como in Italy as Lake Como is where Moto Guzzi is manufactured, I never would have guessed the area was once the necktie capitol of the world.

[geowak]

Johnny2Bad- Great article, thanks for posting it.

[timind]

Though you make some other very good points, I'm sure manufacturing would come back to the States in a BIG way if people were willing to work for $5/hr!

Sure, but then they couldn't afford to purchase the goods they made.

[Bob2]

Sure, but then they couldn't afford to purchase the goods they made.

+1

[Norman Tracy]

We have had this discussion before, and will again. Some sad and interesting recent news raises an interesting issue. Set it up with some audiophile eye candy.



That is a Tannoy GRF90 on display at the Taiwan Audio Association 2016 show in Taiwan. These big Tannoy's are highly prized by Asian audiophiles.

The sad interesting news I mentioned is like Quad before it Tannoy has been purchased by a Chinese company flush with western cash. This happened awhile back and lower range Tannoys are already built in PROC while the Prestige Gold Reference series continued to be built in the UK. Like me Asian audiophiles are rather picky about the source of HiFi gear in this luxury segment. If I buy McIntosh it better be built in New York USA, Sonus Faber I want the ones from Italy not PROC. So I was sad to recently read that the owners of Tannoy had closed the UK cabinet shop and laid off all the UK workers. Will the market care? Just look at the next photo of the GRF90 the Hong Kong based journalist from my-hiend.com included.

[Folsom]

They were bought by Behringer. Pure evil. No one will buy anything but their plastic junk now.

They closed the factory due to "redundancies". They could have fixed them, but the redundancies were paying people a living wage with benefits... so...

[ACHiPo]

Sparky - No China music? Then you really need this one:



Hypnotic, throat-singing like you've not heard before! 

Tuva or bust!
http://www.genghisblues.com

[Folsom]

BTW, as much as China has figured out how to fulfill orders from other countries, esp USA, they've figured out how to exploit their own country to cause artificial economic growth.

[FullRangeMan]

Sparky - No China music? Then you really need this one:



Hypnotic, throat-singing like you've not heard before! 

Audience are happy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0djHJBAP3U

[charmerci]

Sure, but then they couldn't afford to purchase the goods they made.

Yeah well, that's how it works in China, Malaysia, etc.


People want cheap (ahem, Walmart) and that's what happens.

[grsimmon]

Oops, something obviously changed with that link, sorry about that

[OzarkTom]

Acuustat was bought out by China and never more.

[trackball02]

Sparky - No China music? Then you really need this one:



Hypnotic, throat-singing like you've not heard before! 

These artists are not Chinese, they are Russian.

[ACHiPo]

These artists are not Chinese, they are Russian.

Tuva is in outer Mongolia I think?  Not sure about which country it's in, but they seem culturally more Asian than European.

[FullRangeMan]

These artists are not Chinese, they are Russian.

This US audience offer impressively cold applause, they deserved more than a few claps.