cabelas is discontinuing tractor sales

[jenkinsph]

After WW2 the US started improving tooling in Japan as part of a rebuild effort. While the tooling in Japan improved, the tooling in the US started decreasing over the following decades. It takes time to turn something like this around to the point that we as a nation (US) are retooled to the point that we could again be a power house and leader in manufacturing. The US is flooded with import goods far surpassing our export goods and this imbalance if not corrected will surely be our downfall.

It concerns me that in the US are electronics manufacturing capabilities have fallen to the point we can not compete in the global markets. We can not make a cell phone or mass produce new military electronics if the need arises. If we find ourselves in need of the tooling for this production it may take us too long to turn this ship around.

Tractors built today require a high quantity of foreign produced parts too, any of these missing parts can shut us down. Meantime we could all go hungry while trying to tool up.

If the major portion of our manufacturing is done offshore does anyone here believe we can keep control of it if things take a turn for the worse? Some of these manufacturing plants will be building the military goods to take us down.

 

[jenkinsph]

After WW2 the US started improving tooling in Japan as part of a rebuild effort. While the tooling in Japan improved, the tooling in the US started decreasing over the following decades. It takes time to turn something like this around to the point that we as a nation (US) are retooled to the point that we could again be a power house and leader in manufacturing. The US is flooded with import goods far surpassing our export goods and this imbalance if not corrected will surely be our downfall.

It concerns me that in the US are electronics manufacturing capabilities have fallen to the point we can not compete in the global markets. We can not make a cell phone or mass produce new military electronics if the need arises. If we find ourselves in need of the tooling for this production it may take us too long to turn this ship around.

Tractors built today require a high quantity of foreign produced parts too, any of these missing parts can shut us down. Meantime we could all go hungry while trying to tool up.

If the major portion of our manufacturing is done offshore does anyone here believe we can keep control of it if things take a turn for the worse? Some of these manufacturing plants will be building the military goods to take us down.

 

[TomSeller]

One of the troubles we have in the US is after Enron and Worldcom type debacles we overshoot our governance to make sure they don't happen again to the point we are not effective.

 

[varmint]

I confess that I didn't read all the posts here, but I would like to comment on the ones on this page: as for tooling, some of the best CNC machines in the world are built right here, in California, by Haas- we do have the ability to create high quality technical items. Our loss of capability was driven by the encouragement of more and cheaper "stuff", which meant that all this stuff was made where it made the most sense, ie, cheapest labor. Doesn't Apple design their fine products here, but has them made where labor is cheap? Lackadaisical environment concerns also dictates where much "stuff" is made, which is a bad thing for those who make it.

And as for "overshoot our governance to make sure they don't happen again to the point we are not effective" there are many in the world of finance who would argue that we have not done enough to curb banking/investment greed, like that which caused the meltdown in '08. The things we do have consequences, and understanding what they really are isn't always easy, or agreeable.

 

[jenkinsph]

I confess that I didn't read all the posts here, but I would like to comment on the ones on this page: as for tooling, some of the best CNC machines in the world are built right here, in California, by Haas- we do have the ability to create high quality technical items. Our loss of capability was driven by the encouragement of more and cheaper "stuff", which meant that all this stuff was made where it made the most sense, ie, cheapest labor. Doesn't Apple design their fine products here, but has them made where labor is cheap? Lackadaisical environment concerns also dictates where much "stuff" is made, which is a bad thing for those who make it.

And as for "overshoot our governance to make sure they don't happen again to the point we are not effective" there are many in the world of finance who would argue that we have not done enough to curb banking/investment greed, like that which caused the meltdown in '08. The things we do have consequences, and understanding what they really are isn't always easy, or agreeable.

I don't doubt we have the know how to build high tech equipment and tools. The cnc machinery you speak of I would ask where are the parts sourced from? Are the electronics using all US made components?

 

[jenkinsph]

I confess that I didn't read all the posts here, but I would like to comment on the ones on this page: as for tooling, some of the best CNC machines in the world are built right here, in California, by Haas- we do have the ability to create high quality technical items. Our loss of capability was driven by the encouragement of more and cheaper "stuff", which meant that all this stuff was made where it made the most sense, ie, cheapest labor. Doesn't Apple design their fine products here, but has them made where labor is cheap? Lackadaisical environment concerns also dictates where much "stuff" is made, which is a bad thing for those who make it.

And as for "overshoot our governance to make sure they don't happen again to the point we are not effective" there are many in the world of finance who would argue that we have not done enough to curb banking/investment greed, like that which caused the meltdown in '08. The things we do have consequences, and understanding what they really are isn't always easy, or agreeable.

I don't doubt we have the know how to build high tech equipment and tools. The cnc machinery you speak of I would ask where are the parts sourced from? Are the electronics using all US made components?

 

[TomSeller]

And as for "overshoot our governance to make sure they don't happen again to the point we are not effective" there are many in the world of finance who would argue that we have not done enough to curb banking/investment greed, like that which caused the meltdown in '08. The things we do have consequences, and understanding what they really are isn't always easy, or agreeable.

Controlling banking and investment greed to keep corruption out is good.

What isn't good is when every tiny little transaction gets treated with bureaucracy. I'm involved with a US corporation on my day job that has gotten downright hard to deal with.

 

[Jim Timber]

Haas is the bottom of the barrel for CNC machines. The really good stuff is made in Japan and Germany.

What got Haas going was a cheaper 4th axis, and he started branching out from there. They make what'd be considered entry level equipment to the likes of Toyoda, Mori-Seki, Nakamura, and scads of other much better makers.

 

[TomSeller]

When it comes to manufacturing done in CNC machines, would it seem the pendulum would somewhat swing to the US due to our high consumption and the relatively low amount of our high labor costs involved per machine output?

 

[Jim Timber]

There is a word used and practiced in China that is not ecrn known or practiced in Japan. That word essentially means "for family first". When a product is setup to be manufactured in China by a U.S. business it is all too common a oractice that a copy of the plans is secreted out the back door to "family" who reproduce the item for sald under a pirated name and sale process. Cslloway golf vlubs was an exsmple back in 2001 and 2002. But they got caught because they'd used inferior metals which changed the weight balance and feel just a liiiiitttle bit. But they'd already flooded some markets with the cheaper product and Calloway lost a bunch of money fighting to reclaim their reputation.

60 minutes just did a piece last night how China is stealing trade secrets on virtually every technology sector and business area we have. Piracy is well known but the trade secret thefts are country coordinated. Japan or Korea design and build a better mouse trap but China apparently steals the better mousetrap technology.. That is a big and impirtant difference.

These are the people who built the Great Wall, and invented gunpowder. They're hardly stupid. It's high time we called a spade a spade and dealt with them as the thiefs they are. For some reason, that they hold a whole mess of fiat debt of ours seems to hold some weight with our government though.