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Companies brace for end of cheap Made-in-China era

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SocialistLez Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-08-10 07:24 PM
Original message
Companies brace for end of cheap Made-in-China era
Let's just hope this article is right.....

"Factory workers demanding better wages and working conditions are hastening the eventual end of an era of cheap costs that helped make southern coastal China the world's factory floor.

A series of strikes over the past two months have been a rude wakeup call for the many foreign companies that depend on China's low costs to compete overseas, from makers of Christmas trees to manufacturers of gadgets like the iPad.

Where once low-tech factories and scant wages were welcomed in a China eager to escape isolation and poverty, workers are now demanding a bigger share of the profits. The government, meanwhile, is pushing foreign companies to make investments in areas it believes will create greater wealth for China, like high technology.

Many companies are striving to stay profitable by shifting factories to cheaper areas farther inland or to other developing countries, and a few are even resuming production in the West.

"China is going to go through a very dramatic period. The big companies are starting to exit. We all see the writing on the wall," said Rick Goodwin, a China trade veteran of 22 years, whose company links foreign buyers with Chinese suppliers.

"I have 15 major clients. My job is to give the best advice I can give. I tell it like it is. I tell them, put your helmet on, it's going to get ugly," said Goodwin, who says dissatisfied workers and hard-to-predict exchange rates are his top worries.

Beijing's decision to stop tethering the Chinese currency to the U.S. dollar, allowing it to appreciate and thus boosting costs in yuan, has multiplied the uncertainty for companies already struggling with meager profit margins."

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Companies-brace-for-end-of-apf-2437567795.html?x=0


Companies could also move to countries like India, Bangladesh, etc. but let's hope more of them come back to the U.S.
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Omaha Steve Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-08-10 07:55 PM
Response to Original message
1. K&R!
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TheDebbieDee Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-08-10 09:09 PM
Response to Original message
2. That crap made in China was poorly made anyway!
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femrap Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-08-10 09:23 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. Would you make
good crap while being paid 32 cents/hour??????

Lots of the crap made in this country is crap as well. Engineers are paid to implement 'planned obsolescence' in this country.

It's all about the bottom line. Shitty crap sold for as much money as possible.

WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE.

I hate corporate multi-nationals.
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madrchsod Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-08-10 09:24 PM
Response to Original message
4. besides those two..burma,vietnam,and thailand will pick up the slack.
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Stinky The Clown Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-08-10 10:51 PM
Response to Original message
5. Excellent!
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Earth Bound Misfit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jul-09-10 03:26 AM
Response to Original message
6. Kick n Rec!!
...and BTW, thanks for your great posts here in the Labor Forum. :hi:
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SocialistLez Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jul-09-10 09:03 AM
Response to Reply #6
7. Thank you for reading.
:hi:
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Earth Bound Misfit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jul-09-10 05:31 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. Ur welcome.
"Triple Minority" eh? I've got my own little "Trifecta" goin' on

1) Unemployed
2) Uninsured
3) Fired for Union organizing

I'm 0 for 3 in quality of life issues that were at the heart of Pres Obama's campaign platform.
I'm not sayin, I'm only sayin'.
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