Classe move to China

Back to Classe and audio for a while...

As I understand it, Classe will be built in the same factory that B&W has been built in for many years. B&W controls the production and the quality. Classe will do the same. They are not simply throwing the production over their shoulder to some contract manufacturer in China and hoping for the best.

It is my understanding that the first products they got from the new plant they completely disassembled, piece by piece, to check on the quality of the parts and the build and they were completely satisfied.

For those complaining about the sound of some of the new products, doesn't that have more to do with the Canadian design team than where new products are made? The design team should spec the design, the parts, the board layout, the tolerances etc.

I hate to see manufacturing go to China, but people should understand that there is a model of production in China that can preserve the quality. It is just up to the parent company to insure it happens.

This is so sad because if any industry was still capable of manufacturing here in the west, it is High End Audio. These companies are tiny and turn out very few components a year compared to someone like Sony, etc. This small production applies itself very well to old school manufacturing methods and ecomomics. We desperately need to keep these jobs right here at all costs. Not doing so shows me Classe is being greedy and gutless. You know that Classe prices won't drop as a result of this move and the concerns about "teething" problems are very real despite China's ability to deliver the goods when given the proper specs, budget, and guidance.

Perhaps Classe should build the same amp in Canada and China and sell them at $5,000 and $3,000 respectively and see what people end up buying - I suspect money talks.

Does seem like rising labor costs for "skilled" labor in China, and with increasing transportation costs, that the cheap labor model which has been China's comparative advantage is diminishing over time. I've read some companies have notice and have or are planning onshoring.

If you buy things made by slave labor you too will be enslaved.
We ALL know Lenin was not a nice guy ,on the broken clock is right twice a day factoid it doesn't bear mentioning.
Yes there are shades of gray but the people who harp on this are usually trying to excuse themselves for acting on
the many things that are just black and white.

An aside about 2012 Ford Focus IS built in Detroit.
The auto tranny is still made in Mexico, but the car itw=self is made in the motor city. I do not know right off where the manual tranny is made (like mine).

As for China, they are smart and predatory.
As soon as they have eliminated competition, they raise prices to the highest the market will carry.
They have already done so in several commodities.
This is a real war, and not some fantasy.
If America loses this secret war, we (as a world leader) are finished.
Seems America is dedicated to a global economy. Trouble is China sees it's future in the position we USED to be in: as world dominator. Trouble is China is NOT going to be anywhere near the nice guys we were. (Trouble is we were really not very nice guys,..China will be way worse.. but that gets into the political and better to avoid it before this thread gets removed)