01-28-2021, 10:43 AM
But it isn't altogether true, is it? While I remember well being encouraged not to buy Japanese products because they were cheap and were prone to breaking, I don't remember the reasons Japan manufactured cheap, low-quality goods. How quickly that changed.
China's a different case. While it may produce some low-quality kit, the fact that it has a huge population and has/had very cheap labour has meant it has become a manufacturing haven for all sorts of western designed and marketed products. Apple and Nike immediately spring to mind and I've read that Boeing, General Motors and Caterpillar also ave a significant presence in China. Google tells me Honda has 7 plants in China. China's current economic success has, among other things, received a handsome contribution from western manufacturers keen to keep their costs low.
There's a certain irony. I think.
China's a different case. While it may produce some low-quality kit, the fact that it has a huge population and has/had very cheap labour has meant it has become a manufacturing haven for all sorts of western designed and marketed products. Apple and Nike immediately spring to mind and I've read that Boeing, General Motors and Caterpillar also ave a significant presence in China. Google tells me Honda has 7 plants in China. China's current economic success has, among other things, received a handsome contribution from western manufacturers keen to keep their costs low.
There's a certain irony. I think.