7 ms·

Germany Cries Foul over Berlin-Bound Masks Diverted to U.S.

28 points by notlukesky 7y ago

pwg 7y ago
No paywall: https://archive.is/ejcpk https://archive.is/ejcpk
olliej 7y ago
It wasn’t diverted, it was stolen. They were goods paid for by Germany, and then stolen from the plane during a layover.
- reissbaker 7y ago
  Source? It sounds like 3M had no record of that happening, and one of the German officials is backtracking on the claim: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/03/white-house-scrambles-scoop-up-medical-supplies-angering-canada-germany/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/03/white-hou...
- Simulacra 7y ago
  Source?
- sanguy 7y ago
  Source? The real issue is the contract language used by the EU and the member governments specify "pay on delivery" in which the receiving agency will not accept an invoice until the goods are received and inspected as well as 60 to 90 day terms being normal. The EU members are very slow with this acceptance (2 weeks is not abnormal) and combined with the longer payment terms you are looking at 10 to 12 weeks to get paid. In the US the governments will accept contracts "FOB" which means when the product is ready to ship from the manufacturer the buyer will accept the invoice. Terms tend to be 30 days but 15 is also possible. Plus you tend to get paid on time. So in a global market with demand the US will always be a preferred customer. They will pay, on average, 6 to 8 weeks faster. Cash is king in todays world and the EU needs to get used to this or they are going to continue to see such challenges.
erentz 7y ago
There is a surge in support for economic nationalism due to this pandemic citing lack of medical supplies as the reason. However while if everyone had their own factory meeting their own regular needs that would mean everyone gets a fairer share at the moment. It wouldn’t mean everyone gets 100% of their needs, because demand is through the roof. (Yes there is some scaling up that could be done, but point still stands). It also doesn’t seem an automatic given that while some industries should be viewed as critical for security reasons, that all industries must be local. It seems there’s need for much more nuance to this. Countries need better cooperative systems for handling such events as part of negotiating trade treaties. A kind of economic NATO (for a probably terrible analogy).
- geomark 7y ago
  Right. You don't want a standing army to address every potential pandemic or other catastrophe. You DO want the ability to repurpose and scale up existing production resources to address face the surprise. You would want to develop competency in massive scaling rather than just some scaling.
Aloha 7y ago
Interesting, quoting from the article.. 3M said it “has no evidence to suggest 3M products have been seized. 3M has no record of any order of respirators from China for the Berlin police. We cannot speculate where this report originated.”
Simulacra 7y ago
It’s sort of every country for themselves right now.
- andybak 7y ago
  Is that a normative or descriptive statement?
  - Simulacra 7y ago
    Normative.
dogma1138 7y ago
Kettle meet pot https://www.thelocal.com/20200309/germany-blocks-protective-masks-headed-for-switzerland https://www.thelocal.com/20200309/germany-blocks-protective-...

28 points by notlukesky 7y ago

pwg 7y ago

No paywall: https://archive.is/ejcpk https://archive.is/ejcpk

It wasn’t diverted, it was stolen. They were goods paid for by Germany, and then stolen from the plane during a layover.

reissbaker 7y ago
Source? It sounds like 3M had no record of that happening, and one of the German officials is backtracking on the claim: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/03/white-house-scrambles-scoop-up-medical-supplies-angering-canada-germany/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/03/white-hou...
Simulacra 7y ago
Source?
sanguy 7y ago
Source? The real issue is the contract language used by the EU and the member governments specify "pay on delivery" in which the receiving agency will not accept an invoice until the goods are received and inspected as well as 60 to 90 day terms being normal. The EU members are very slow with this acceptance (2 weeks is not abnormal) and combined with the longer payment terms you are looking at 10 to 12 weeks to get paid. In the US the governments will accept contracts "FOB" which means when the product is ready to ship from the manufacturer the buyer will accept the invoice. Terms tend to be 30 days but 15 is also possible. Plus you tend to get paid on time. So in a global market with demand the US will always be a preferred customer. They will pay, on average, 6 to 8 weeks faster. Cash is king in todays world and the EU needs to get used to this or they are going to continue to see such challenges.

erentz 7y ago

There is a surge in support for economic nationalism due to this pandemic citing lack of medical supplies as the reason. However while if everyone had their own factory meeting their own regular needs that would mean everyone gets a fairer share at the moment. It wouldn’t mean everyone gets 100% of their needs, because demand is through the roof. (Yes there is some scaling up that could be done, but point still stands). It also doesn’t seem an automatic given that while some industries should be viewed as critical for security reasons, that all industries must be local. It seems there’s need for much more nuance to this. Countries need better cooperative systems for handling such events as part of negotiating trade treaties. A kind of economic NATO (for a probably terrible analogy).

geomark 7y ago
Right. You don't want a standing army to address every potential pandemic or other catastrophe. You DO want the ability to repurpose and scale up existing production resources to address face the surprise. You would want to develop competency in massive scaling rather than just some scaling.

Aloha 7y ago

Interesting, quoting from the article.. 3M said it “has no evidence to suggest 3M products have been seized. 3M has no record of any order of respirators from China for the Berlin police. We cannot speculate where this report originated.”

Simulacra 7y ago

It’s sort of every country for themselves right now.

andybak 7y ago
Is that a normative or descriptive statement?
- Simulacra 7y ago
  Normative.

dogma1138 7y ago

Kettle meet pot https://www.thelocal.com/20200309/germany-blocks-protective-masks-headed-for-switzerland https://www.thelocal.com/20200309/germany-blocks-protective-...