HEGEL - Is it really made in Norway ?

"09-19-15: Sabai
With all the great choices out there ethics can make a difference when choosing which components to buy. If given the choice, would you prefer to buy from a Made in U.S.A. company with great ethics or from a Made in China company with questionable ethics?"

For the Hegel situation we're discussing on this thread, I can't really fault China. I fault Hegel. The Chinese are just doing what's being asked of them. If Hegel tells them to change the design and put Made in China in big letters on the rear face plate, I'm sure they will.

Zd542, "shipping is not as high as you think. Everything goes into big containers and put on a boat. Its not that expensive to ship that way. Its slower but cheaper."

You're right, and that's the way things SHOULD work.

However, in the case of Consonance, it doesn't. Their sales volumes come in such that they could never dream of a shipping via container on the ocean. Mostly, they come over as a single or low number of items, so shipping costs are exorbitant. Air freight for an order big enough to represent an outlier would lower the cost burden, though still far more than what we mentioned as the ideal.

In the end, the company actually doesn't mind at all when the higher costs get passed on down the line. In fact, their preference lies with their components selling for as much as those produced in these respective home markets.

I didn't mean to suggest that they have to fill the whole container. There's other options available.

Half size containers are available.

They can be shared with other people like you that can't fill a whole one.

There's shipping services available that have their own containers. They pool your shipment, along with they're other customers goods until they fill a container.

I'm not even scratching the surface here. There's all kinds of ways to make this work. A friend of mine just bought a motorcycle and had it shipped from China to the US in a container. There's no way his motorcycle was the only thing inside.

"In the end, the company actually doesn't mind at all when the higher costs get passed on down the line. In fact, their preference lies with their components selling for as much as those produced in these respective home markets."

I'll have to take your word on that one. I've never had a businesses show me their books so I could see how all this plays out. No one likes to share that kind of info.

Andysf,

You stated, "I briefly researched Hegel integrated amps recently when trying to decide which integrated amp would best suit my needs. I don't remember seeing it mentioned anywhere online that they were made in China. As I will not buy audio equipment made in Mainland China, this would have been a deal breaker. I am amazed no dealer or distributor has commented on the thread yet! Things like this can cost them sales."

What you say shows that where a product is made does matter to some people. The point is that we have a right to know where products are made. This should not be hidden from the consumer by companies who do not want the truth to be known.

Onhwy61,

You state, "Obviously some people in this thread care about where a product is made, but it's not clear if that's a major concern for the majority of Americans. Your computer, cell phone, flat screen, clothing, year-round fruits & vegetables etc. are all foreign sourced. Go to a local big box and look for domestically sourced products. Regrading [sic] ethics, you are compromised whatever you buy. It's a global economy."

This may be true. But we have a right to know where products are made so we can decide whether or not we want to purchase them.

Zd542

You stated, "For the Hegel situation we're discussing on this thread, I can't really fault China. I fault Hegel. The Chinese are just doing what's being asked of them. If Hegel tells them to change the design and put Made in China in big letters on the rear face plate, I'm sure they will."

I agree. This is not the fault of China. It is the fault of Hegel. The question remains unanswered whether or not Hegel will ask the manufacturer to be straight with everyone and put Made in China on the back of their products.

Again, everything you put forth has a strong current of rightness and truth, Zd542.

However, again, it doesn't work for Consonance. Many reasons to list, but the bottom line is that the combination of too wide a product line-up and too small a customer list demand a rapid and expensive shipping methodology in order to get the product a customer wants into their hands.

Anyway, the focus of the thread remains on Hegel, and the thoughts around why their rear panel states "Norway", but not "Made In Norway".

Everyone involved on the business side of that venture understands the cache of a European high-end audio component draws people in a powerful way, and gets them to happily pay more money than a product made in China.