More Chinese Recalls

[Meister]

More products are being recalled including Pollypockets, Baby Bibs, Truck Tires, Nokia Batteries.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/news/made.in.china/index.html

My question is, will you start checking labels for "Made In China" and will you avoid these products?


One thing that surprised me though was that it is common for disgraced company owners or other powerful people to commit suicide. You have to wonder if these CEOs feel bad for the potential harm they inflict or if they are plain embarrassed. But suicide?? Maybe those guys need some therapy.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/13/china.toymaker.ap/index.html

 

[ig-88]

You get what you pay for.

 

[LKD]

I'm pretty sure the CEO is sitting by the beach, somewhere in South America drinking some beer along with some fine women.

 

[Hard Idle]

Recalls on products of this type happen all the time, especially stuff for kids like toys, strollers, clothing & furniture. They just get alot more publicity when they're made in China these days.

Some of it probably has to do with the problems of QA & oversight in China, as well as the problems caused by the Chinese interpretation of capitalism. particularly with respect to being catapulted from an ultra-socialist contract to a free market one.

However I suspect that just as often, the recalls and investigations you hear about are politically motivated by pressures of the anti-offshoring factions lead by the likes of Lou Dobbs.

 

[Don]

"Made In China" has always meant "cheap" as in cheap cost and cheap quality for as long as I can remember. So the fact that this is getting news now is a bit of a joke to me.

 

[DistantVoyeur]

Try finding something not made in China. The products are out there, but cannot price as competatively since they have higher labour costs so have a smaller market share and smaller distribution.

Made in Japan meant cheap, now means quality. Made in Hong Kong meant cheap, now means ok. After China it will be India or Africa, then China will mean ok.

 

[Meister]

Made in Japan meant cheap, now means quality. Made in Hong Kong meant cheap, now means ok. After China it will be India or Africa, then China will mean ok.

Japan and China. Not the same.

Japan is not a product of offshoring. It was actually competing with American products and lately surpassing American products when it comes to quality.

China is not competing with American products. China is making the American products with cheap labour. Case in point Black & Decker employs about 8000 workers at its campus in China.

I'm not sure if China is striving to become Japan. That's not what China is about. Morals and ethics are just deplorable. Companies routinely "buy" ISO certificates and stamps to show their customers they are certified.

 

[LKD]

Japan and China. Not the same.

exactly! One won't understand Japan unless one looks deeper into their cultural practices. We're talking about a culture who make an art out of pouring tea. You can't compare Japan to China.

 

[viciouscycle]

This could be the tip of an iceberg. I'm sure other major retailers are looking into their products and checking if they meet safety standards. Could be first of many recalls.
Consumers then will likely stay away from Chinese goods for a while (at least toys) or any other goods that will come into the media as tainted.
But things will return to normal in a few months - China is just exporting too much in every category.

 

[FOOTSNIFFER]

Very true. Wal-Mart's division in Japan, a company called 'deiyu', is suffering losses due to the american's proclivities to offer more downmarket products. In other words, even the japanese consumer wants quality over quantity..price is of secondary importance.

Chinese subcontractors do most of the production for western firms. These companies try their darndest to remain anonymous to their customers (if you believe it) in order to sell to as many firms in the same sector as possible. So, for example, a sneaker manufacturer will want to sell to Puma and adidas and nike. This makes business sense, as any business tries to avoid concentration of his clientele, and leveraging his expertise without being identified to closely with one firm; as a nike manufacturer, for example. The problem with this system...accountability and loss in brand equity on the part of the subcontractor in the event of a lapse in quality. So they don't really care about maintaining quality standards....they probably also think that they won the contract on price, so they'll only keep it if they do everything to keep the price down.

Their culture encourages this too. Apparently, the chinese don't have too great an appreciation for the 'common weal'. Their confusion ideals are to first take care of your immediate family, then your wider social/family/business ties. Fealty to concepts of general morality like the golden rule is pretty weak. If they can gain at the expense of the faceless masses and get away with it, then good for them. The shame is in being caught and exposed...the loss of 'face' is the unbearable disgrace, not the fact that other people suffer from their behaviour. Interesting culture....

 

[Meister]

Update:
You can sign on to a lawsuit.
http://newsblaze.com/story/2007081615413200002.pz/newsblaze/PRIMEZON/PrimeNewswire.html

To me it seems a bit out of hand. The number of children harmed or killed by lead poising is almost non-existant. Remember we used to have lead pipes!

 

[5andman]

Damn, guess Wal-Mart won't be around any longer.

 

[LancsLad]

Update:
You can sign on to a lawsuit.
http://newsblaze.com/story/2007081615413200002.pz/newsblaze/PRIMEZON/PrimeNewswire.html

To me it seems a bit out of hand. The number of children harmed or killed by lead poising is almost non-existant. Remember we used to have lead pipes!

And we had lead in our pencil.

 

[goodtime]

exactly! One won't understand Japan unless one looks deeper into their cultural practices. We're talking about a culture who make an art out of pouring tea. You can't compare Japan to China.

You're right can't compare Japan to China. Tea ceremony introduce to Japan with Buddhism but Japanese took it to another level. Taiwanese is more discipline when it comes to tea but we're going off topic.

 

[goodtime]

Then Incall section post would drop by 1/3

Volunteer for Underwriter lab or CSA testers?

 

[bestillmehard]

Not related to recalls, but very interesting info about selling it in China

http://news.therecord.com/article/230188