imported rototillers etc

[Villengineer]

China doesn't have to have an individual labor cost lower than the rest of the world, just lower than the countries that import their products. China has the somewhat unique position of very low labor cost AND a stable government and culture. Therefore companies, both internal and external, are willing to set up manufacturing operations. No matter how you want to skew the facts, the "individual" cost of labor is still very low compared to countries such as the US, most of Europe, and Japan. I also won't go into the details of the amount of corporate espionage and downright ignoring of international patents/copyrights that China and other countries practice. It makes it much easied to advance when it's on someone else's coat tails.
Material cost is only labor cost? So rarity, usefullness, and/or location play no part in value? I think that your stance would be very difficult to defend.

 

[Egon]

Nomad:

Perhaps you could get some of those white haired MSc's to write a fortran program showing Royalty distribution for raw materials.

Egon

 

[jimg]

"Why are so many tillers that are made in Italy as compared to the rest of the world imported to the USA?"
Great question! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Been wondering that myself.

 

[HayDR]

We have the disposable income to purchase tillers and compact tractors to use them. Realize that the compact tractor users are driving the most of the tiller sales. Asia does MFG many tillers but they are of the rice tiller variety. In Europe many people use Troybuilt style tillers for their gardens.
After WWII, the Italians started using these tillers in their farming methods. The USA farming methods were much different than Europe because of the size of our farms. Tillers first were used in California and in the Northeast. As times changed, emigrants moved to the USA, and compact tractors showed up from Asia, the US consumers saw the advantages of tiller use. The Italians were already MFG tillers and they had a challenged economy so they could produce at lower prices than the US.

 

[JimMc]

Keep in mind that the number 1 tiller in terms of units sold remains the King Kutter II with over 12,000 sold last year. No one else comes close. So it is not a case of the Italian made tillers dominating the market as many would have you believe. As CCI has already said, the KKII uses a Chinese gearbox and side drive with Italian tines, but it is built in the U.S.

 

[nomad]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ... the question still remains...
Why are so many tillers that are made in Italy as compared to the rest of the world imported to the USA? )</font>

MossRoad, here is the real reason of why there are so many tillers from Italy;

Pieter the Smart since his days at KK(? )
Waverly the Agri-Suppy'er, active in agri-business for long time
and many other people like these two.
And of course, we should include some last generation Italian guys whose grandfathers were experienced in the US market especially in the olive oil business since last decade of 20th centry.

Because of all these many people from Italy, many people from the US having business relations within Italy and because of their appreciated efforts, you see most of tiller assemblies or their components in the US are coming from Italy. So, the ONLY reason why so many tillers from Italy is..; Human Effort! in marketing, developing, servicing, etc..

But, as I said before, China tillers will have a big big impact in the US market and all over the world on all farm related machinery&implement businesses including the tillers. If Pakistan and India join China in producing more tillers and if such a topic is opened here again in February of 2005, we will be asking this "Why so many tillers from China (and also India and Pakistan) are being sold here?"..

Nomad
the ONLY person
from Turkey

 

[nomad]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Material cost is only labor cost? So rarity, usefullness, and/or location play no part in value? I think that your stance would be very difficult to defend. )</font>

No, it won't be difficult.

Rarity is a "defined" value again by "human" (mind) effort that too can be included in "human labor" cost. Take my truffles here; Truffles are most expensive food on the earth because of their "rarity" - but, it does not cost me at all other than some searching work I spend to find them, so I am paying only "human labor" cost here.

Usefulness; Take the Gold, a material which can be very "useful" if it were used in electric transmission wires, but now it is a kind of ornament material or only a reference material rather than a utilitarian material. The gold was being used as a utilitarian material at early ages of metal era due to its easily shape-able characteristics. Then, humans "re-defined" the gold-use especially after Babylon-like high-society buildings appeared in the history. So, usefulness of materials, eg, the gold, can not be studied in the utilitarianism field anymore. Human-mind-labor effort (in negative direction) had done it again.

Location of the materials: You mean the material you need can be far away or at very deep places in the earth? Well, that material is just sitting there for free - But, you have to spend some "human labor" effort again to be able to get it from there.

As you see, all material costs too are actually a summation of human labor costs.

This is why China is able to produce cheap products WITHOUT lowering their individual "actual" labor costs
Their sum/cumulative labor cost is low due to their large population and considering that all material costs too are actually labor costs we can say their final price will always be cheaper.

 

[HayDR]

Since you, Nomad, are a "Natural Communist" you must understand the communist ways in China. Does this mean that Nomad will use Truffles as his currency since as Nomad says that China will rule all the business in the world? You once said you would be producing at lower prices than others in Turkey, are you moving to China? When did you get your PHD in Economics? Which dialect of the Chinese language do you speak?

 

[Junkman]

For the Kubota BX-22 trctor, which tiller would you reccommend??.... 42" or 49"??????

 

[Old_Hickory]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="red"> King Kutter </font> )</font>

Good value for your $$$$ in my opinion.