At least for complicated mechanical devices like transmissions, or really anything that has a lot of friction between metals, getting the right alloy is essenti

At least for complicated mechanical devices like transmissions, or really anything that has a lot of friction between metals, getting the right alloy is essential. An example from the world of home appliances, Bosch/Siemens have been using the same drum design for a decade, before production was moved from Poland/Spain to China, likely for cost cutting measures. The Chinese made machines (same internal design, new model - they always do that, with a facelift and maybe new electronics) had a very high bearing and spider failure rate. They switched the alloy supplier. Makes sense, why import it from the EU. Either they knew it was lower quality, or were duped, but anyway, their product quality took a massive dive because of a seemingly simple to produce part.