Chan Tran
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Because, to be blunt, people in general don't care how or where something is made.
I recently purchased a Nikon Z lens. One of my considerations was where is was made. A well known review site made no secret of that aspect.
Europe is the same. People don't know and don't care, and there's a relationship between these things. Not caring means there's no incentive to learn, which in turn results in a lack of awareness of relevant knowledge related to manufacturing in a broad sense. This appears to coincide with the rise to prominence of the service economy, which involves fewer and fewer people being trained in manufacturing-related fields and fewer manufacturing firms being active (esp. proportionally to the economy at large). It's also apparent in media; manufacturing does not feature at all in mainstream media of course, and the handful of journalists who do report occasionally about the manufacturing industry or related topics, are generally lacking in technical knowledge/background, resulting in an inability to grasp what developemts may or may not be relevant and how to make sense of the evidence they might stumble across by accident.
Sorry to sound all jaded, but I'm afraid that Western society overall has degenerated to a state of only caring whether something is featured on TikTok and whether we can afford to purchase it, without exhibiting the slightest interest in, or awareness of how or where something is made. Manufacturing is regarded as the grimy, shady enterprise dominated by greedy CEO's that one would do well to avoid at all costs because surely, making stuff is boring, polluting, irresponsible and overall undesirable and it's best left to parts of the world we don't have to see or care about. Owing stuff, on the other hand, is fantastic and more stuff = better, so let's all run to the store and get a bunch of new flat-screen TV's, because we don't have one in the upstairs bathroom or the storage shed out back yet.
If you're researching about a product you want to buy or interested in for example a camera, you can get tons of information with specs, pictures, videos, opinions, how to use it etc.. on the internet but if you want to find out where it is made it seems impossible. Why is it so? Why manufacturers when providing a lot of pictures of the product they carefully keep the "made in xxxxx" marking from visible? The same thing with reviewers, they do provide a lot of pictures of the product but not a hint where it is made.
Pieces or modules can come from many different countries, then assembled in yet another country, and shipped to distributors by the main office in yet another country, and marketed by business entities from yet many more countries (and not even linked to the main office other than by a contractual agreement)...which country does the camera come from?!
More importantly for me is where the item was designed, and the standards it is held to. Many high quality items come from countries that produce as much or more junk. Design and quality control are crucial.
More importantly for me is where the item was designed, and the standards it is held to. Many high quality items come from countries that produce as much or more junk. Design and quality control are crucial.
I this thread also I don't argue whether such information is important, just why it's so difficult to get. When they took products photographs they carefully chose the angle where the country of origin label or marking not visible. This not only on advertising material from the manufacturers but also from reviewers of the products. It seems they take care not to let the audience know the country of origin of the products.
More importantly for me is where the item was designed, and the standards it is held to. Many high quality items come from countries that produce as much or more junk. Design and quality control are crucial.
Mangement is responsible.But where does the BMW model XYZ come from...if it is designed in Germany, the engine is assembled in Austria and the transmission is assembled in Germany, and the chassis is produced in Mexico and/or North Carolina (and that is where the engine and transmission are married to the chassis)? Is it more significant where it is designed or where it is assembled? Over 10 years ago, BMW reliability was pretty bad, today it is pretty great, what changed, the design or modules or the full assembly.
On to Mercedes...
Mercedes is a German design, the engines are assembled in Germany, the transmissions assembled in Romania, but their cars are assembled in many different countries...and the reliability since the miid-2000's (per Consumer Reports and other sources) is down in the dumps...is the design responsible for that, certain modules, or the full assembly?
Often the origin is marked in hard-to find or see parts of a camera or lens, parts that are not significant photograph to show the condition of the item. For example, I am looking at a very expensive Leica lens right now. I had to hunt for the country of origin. It is engraved, black-on-black at the bottom edge of the lens body.I this thread also I don't argue whether such information is important, just why it's so difficult to get. When they took products photographs they carefully chose the angle where the country of origin label or marking not visible. This not only on advertising material from the manufacturers but also from reviewers of the products. It seems they take care not to let the audience know the country of origin of the products.
what changed, the design or modules or the full assembly.
Often the origin is marked in hard-to find or see parts of a camera or lens, parts that are not significant photograph to show the condition of the item. For example, I am looking at a very expensive Leica lens right now. I had to hunt for the country of origin. It is engraved, black-on-black at the bottom edge of the lens body.
The automotive industry has a particularly rich history when it comes to quality management. One of the key aspects of this has been since roughly the 1960s that this involves the entire product realization process. So the real answer is that it all changes, pretty much all the time. And often (not always) for the better.
Because, to be blunt, people in general don't care how or where something is made.
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