Briggs and Stratton files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today

[Diggin It]

The first step in these cases should be to halt salaries of executives above a certain level and reclaim all bonuses and incentives paid to them over the previous 2-5 years.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Would you believe that the chinese actually built motors to the false specs and called us about engine problems ?

I recall an apocryphal story that, between the world wars, Scottish ship builders, incensed that the Japanese were stealing their ship designs, let them steal plans for a ship that would capsize. The Japanese scrutinized the plans, realized the ship would turn turtle, but built it to the false spec intentionally. The ship capsized upon launch, the Scots laughed, but the Japanese enjoyed the reputation of being incompetent leading up to WWII when they surprised many.

 

[ruffdog]

Maybe my 70's Deere push mower with the 3.5hp Briggs is a collector now! I don't think it will ever quit running either! :laughing:

 

[WranglerX]

Well.... I have a old B&S 130202 5 hp on a recently purchases (really old) log splitter, and when replacement carburetor + fuel tank + air cleaner (it is missing) costs more then a new HONDA motor, guess what.....

Sears was slow to wake up to market changes, and now B&S among others and look what Amazon has done to market place....

Dale

 

[RickB]

Quite a few brands will be affected.

Briggs & Stratton is the world's largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment, and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of power generation, pressure washer, lawn and garden, turf care and job site products through its Briggs & Stratton®, Simplicity®, Snapper®, Ferris®, Vanguard®, Allmand®, Billy Goat®, Murray®, Branco® and Victa® brands.

 

[3930dave]

I recall an apocryphal story that, between the world wars, Scottish ship builders, incensed that the Japanese were stealing their ship designs, let them steal plans for a ship that would capsize. The Japanese scrutinized the plans, realized the ship would turn turtle, but built it to the false spec intentionally. The ship capsized upon launch, the Scots laughed, but the Japanese enjoyed the reputation of being incompetent leading up to WWII when they surprised many.

PRC is flexing it's muscles now, but enjoyed the benefits of being under-estimated for a very long time...... still today, IMO.

Rgds, D.

 

[KennyG]

Relative to designs being copied. The US Navy had one shipyard design a submarine and then told them to send the plans to a second shipyard so they would have two builders. The second shipyard built the submarine, took it out and found it wouldn't sink. The first shipyard said, "Oh, I guess you didn't get the plans with the ballast in them." The Navy was not amused.

 

[ruffdog]

Tecumseh use to be a giant too. Their Snow King engines powered more snow blowers than all the other engines put together. Things change.....don't they.

What happened to Tecumseh? | LawnMowerPros Blog

 

[Toyboy]

Every time someone looks for the cheapest replacement, in lot of cases it ends up a clone, for a chainsaw, small engine, tools, etc., your just driving another nail in the US manufacturing coffin.
We, the consumer, have to take some of the responsibility for a lot of these manufacturers going under. Manufacturers cannot pay union wages with benefits along with all the EPA crap now days and expect to compete with off shore manufactures that do not have that load and in a lot of cases reverse engineer the product.
China would not let anyone build a manufacturing plant there unless that manufacturer shared technology. No R&D required to clone anything. Sweet huh.
Everyone wants to make the companies out to be the evil empire, when in reality we the consumer, did it to ourselves.

 

[ruffdog]

Every time someone looks for the cheapest replacement, in lot of cases it ends up a clone, for a chainsaw, small engine, tools, etc., your just driving another nail in the US manufacturing coffin.
We, the consumer, have to take some of the responsibility for a lot of these manufacturers going under. Manufacturers cannot pay union wages with benefits along with all the EPA crap now days and expect to compete with off shore manufactures that do not have that load and in a lot of cases reverse engineer the product.
China would not let anyone build a manufacturing plant there unless that manufacturer shared technology. No R&D required to clone anything. Sweet huh.
Everyone wants to make the companies out to be the evil empire, when in reality we the consumer, did it to ourselves.

Sad but true.