Is anything made in the U.S.A.

[Woodbeef]

The Big 3 and UAW have only themselves to blame. Back in the late 60s when HD was having problems with the Japanese bikes coming in,the Auto industry instead of paying attention played ostrich. They are paying for it till this day. We live in global economy true,but if companies like Kioti and Kubota can pretty much totally build their tractors,why can't green and blue do it over here? There are no under 100 hp tractors made in North America these days. Last of them were the White American Series of the late 80s early 90s. True there are plants in GA that assemble tractors. As the Spin-Doctors at Deere put it.........Assembled in the USA from parts sourced World-Wide.......Pretty well sums it up,don't it?

 

[BTDT]

Profits for CEO's of companys that outsource.

 

[schmism]

Assembled in the USA from parts sourced World-Wide.......Pretty well sums it up,don't it?

what do you guys want? every nut, bolt, washer made in USA? how about the paint, or the oil that makes the plastic fenders, or the cotton that sitches the seat together? do you have to mine the copper that make the wires in the USA?

 

[GATOR445]

I don't think there are any CUTs under 40 hp made in the US.

Well John Deere does assemble CUTs from aprox. 25hp an up in the US. The drive train is manufactured in one of the plain states (Nebraska or Kansas). The 4220 an up all use the JD eng. not the yanmar which has been a very good eng. They use the yanmar in the 3x20s an 4x10s down. Its the SUB.CUTs and the 790 an 990 that are from overseas.

That being said like anything most of the parts come from all over the world.

Just be glad your not straped into the space schuttle built by the best parts the lowest bidder can build.

 

[_RaT_]

There is more to the foreign companies coming to the South than cheap labor. It might be cheap-er, but it isn't cheap. Most eastern seaboard southern economies are booming, but the general cost of living is so much less than the rest of the country that the cost of labor is less. The main reason is an ingrained distrust of unions and union politics in the southern US.

We don't like unions.

Mack truck thought they'd give the south a try back in the 1980's. The county where my property is prostituted itself to get Mack to build a truck plant there. So Mack comes in and builds this enormous facility and starts hiring and training locals. But the unions won some sort of lawsuit and Mack had to offer jobs to the people from the plant they were closing (up north) and they came down and took all the local jobs, voted the union in and the dang thing has been closed and dead for nearly 10 years now! I know for a fact that unions served a great and noble purpose at one time, but that time seems to have passed.

Contrast that with the BMW plant in Spartanburg, about an hour and a half up the road. They came in and built a world class facility. The brought world class training for the locals, it pays them extremely well with good benefits and that place is booming.

I think these two examples say it all.

Problem is, that good old American self sufficiency is a thing of the past and we are weaker for it.

And in my opinion, paying more for a inferior product just because it is made in the US makes things worse. Its bad news all the way around.

I own a Kubota.

Interesting George. I have never been a fan of unions. I think the worst offenders have been the government unions which are in my opinion a cancer that will eventually devour the state and federal government in budgets we cannot afford. I am quite sure California is not alone in the benefits unions have gained for the fire, police, highway patrol. While I support the difficult job each of these groups have, they are so well compensated for in retirement out here that it will break the bank, that is a statiscal known. We simply could not tax enough to create the kind of retirement that is being setup by these unions and still function. I think the time is coming in the next few decades.

 

[cmhyland]

Lets face it, the Carolinas have been pro-business and they have attracted some really big companies.

What's not to like... Well educated workforce, capable of doing precision work with minimal training( Relative to the rest of the world). Great place to live and work. No Unions required and deep corporate incentives to settle and build there.

Foreign companies bringing jobs to American workers while the American companies ***** on American workers.

Remember years ago CEOs would talk about doing what was right for the employees, customers, and stockholders. When was the last time a CEO cared about what was right for the employees.

Their incentive packages are geared toward short tern gains, but they rarely every create any real value.

Regards,
Chris

 

[InlineDieselFan]

I can't find any clothes made in the US at the Farm and Fleet store. I just buy the stuff I like and don't worry about it any more.

You can buy US clothes from C.C.Filson in Seattle. Well most of thier clothes are made in the US. I must admit they have started to buy more material and have some items are made overseas now. But at least most are made in the US.

steve

 

[shvl73]

I think its kinda hard to lay all the blame on the union's doorstep. As long as CEO's get 10's of millions of dollars (or more) to leave a company they've helped along on the road to ruin, I can't blame any employee for thinking he should get better pay and benefits for themselves and their families.
While I'm not a union worker, sometimes I think I can see a little of the other side.

 

[Ifixcars]

Maybe if some of these CEO's and their cronies didn't get paid 29 million dollars a year, these companies would be more competitive. Look at these greedy ***** take a multi million dollar bonus while trimming 15000 jobs. See them sit on each other's boards, and collect monstrous salaries from that too. See what most non union companies offer the workers for pay and benefits. Most likely, as little pay as possible, and no bennies. These CEO's will preach patriotism, but stab a long time American supplier in the back for more money in their own pocket. They have no loyalty to anything but money and short term money at that. Yeah, the Unions have been greedy, but if not for the unions, the top management would take everything. If you gave these money grubbers the chance, they would make themselves kings, and they are trying very hard to do that.

 

[Volfandt]

Read an interesting blurb in the business section of my local paper today. Seems the leading export of TN in $'s is new cars/pickup trucks. And yet they only make up about 10% of total exports in volume.
Interesting.

And a closing thought, you know it's funny but I can remember when something that was made in Japan was considered cheap and inferior....... my how the worm has turned ...........