Germany seems to be doing quite well in producing exactly those products from the upper-middle tier – mixing a reasonable blend of longevity, ingenuity and ergo

Germany seems to be doing quite well in producing exactly those products from the upper-middle tier – mixing a reasonable blend of longevity, ingenuity and ergonomics, at an earthly cost. In the rest of the world and especially in "emerging markets" however, such products are often unaffordable, uncompetitive and even sometimes seen as old-fashioned. A household in India that goes from not having a kitchen cutlery set to having one cannot ever distinguish its level of quality because there is nothing else they can compare it to.