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> I think this says more about how badly Craftsman has shat the bed and less about manufacturing in America. Sorry to burst your bubble. Manufacturing pliers

> I think this says more about how badly Craftsman has shat the bed and less about manufacturing in America. Sorry to burst your bubble. Manufacturing pliers and screwdrivers is a joke when compared to, as an example, manufacturing a cordless drill, battery packs, charger and accessories. We cannot do ANY of that in the US. Something like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M12-12V-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-1-4-in-Hex-Screwdriver-Kit-with-Two-1-5Ah-Batteries-Charger-and-Tool-Bag-2401-22/100615066 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M12-12V-Lithium-Ion-Co... Nope. Can't do it. Not unless you are willing to play $500 for it, or much more. Let's put it this way: If you take the time to create a detailed list of every component, material and process required to manufacture and deliver that product, you will quickly discover that NONE OF IT is made in the US. In business terms, the supply chain for the manufacturing of such products is long and very expensive, because it isn't local. Guess where you'd have to buy all the components from? China. A corollary is that you cannot make this product for less (or even the same) than what it costs to make it in China. Impossible, even if the factories existed. While people love to talk about "Buy American" there's a huge gaping hole between those who virtue-signal with bumper-stickers and flags and the much smaller group who actually practice --to the extent possible-- what they preach. BTW, I have attended trade shows where Chinese OEM manufacturers showcase products they make, including tools. To put it in simple terms, anyone can sign a deal with any of these manufacturers and have a line of quality hand and power tools with their own brand and logo. You go to these conferences and can actually talk to and buy from the very companies who are making tools for the top brands in the US and Europe.

defrost 3y ago
Good and accurate comment. Worth mentioning that one can also go to pharma manufacturing and trade shows in China and discuss bespoke bulk synthesis deals and leave with free sample bags of uncapsuled high grade perscription drugs with a "to US patient on US soil" value of tens of thousands of US dollars.
PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
Sure. But a reminder that this didn't happen by accident. Capital went in search of cheap labor, to increase profits. The cheap(er) labor wasn't in the USA. We let capital do this. We loosened capital flow rules, we loosened profit repatriation rules, we reduced or eliminated tariffs. That's not to say that Chinese/Asian companies would never have gotten good at doing this on their own. But the situation we are actually is not really a result of their excellence and/or costs - it's because we elected political representatives who allowed the capital class to fuck us over, and so they did.
- deanCommie 3y ago
  I'm much more socialist than the average HN'er, but let's not mistake - they pursued increased profits AND massively reduced prices. Now we can say the price reduction wasn't worth it and the bang for buck has actually gotten worse as we've made more things more accessible. That the cost of everything being cheaper is that we have to buy more of it, creating more waste, contributing more to climate change, etc. But ultimately globalization and the move to manufacturing in China HAS contributed to a huge amount of prosperity world wide as geographies that would've never been able to afford certain devices, tools, or even just entertainment before, have been able to.
  - spiralx 3y ago
    Heh, you've just made me consider that the asymptote of capitalism is communism.
    - lucubratory 3y ago
      "What the bourgeoisie therefore produces, above all, are its own grave diggers." - some German dude
  - tehjoker 3y ago
    Yep, the trick of neoliberalism was they reduced worker shares of wages, but they tried to cover that up by reducing the price of commodities (but not fundamentals like land, education, healthcare etc).
    - deanCommie 3y ago
      That view is still highly Western-centric. In North America, and maybe Europe, the share of worker wages has decreased to the benefit of the elite, but World-wide prosperity has increased DRAMATICALLY in the decades of "globalism" and "neoliberalism" BILLIONS of people escaped poverty worldwide in exchange for the millions that entered it in the US. Unfortunately it's not clear what the next step for those billions is. It's certainly not the path that the US and Europe went through for their post-industrial and post-war boom. But what is it instead? It's uncertain and unwritten. At this point the existential threat to the majority of humanity isn't a lack of clean drinking water, vaccinations, and upward mobility opportunity. It's climate, heat waves, flood, and all the effects that affect everyone across class divides (except the 0.01% in their mountain bunkers)

defrost 3y ago

Good and accurate comment. Worth mentioning that one can also go to pharma manufacturing and trade shows in China and discuss bespoke bulk synthesis deals and leave with free sample bags of uncapsuled high grade perscription drugs with a "to US patient on US soil" value of tens of thousands of US dollars.

PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago

Sure. But a reminder that this didn't happen by accident. Capital went in search of cheap labor, to increase profits. The cheap(er) labor wasn't in the USA. We let capital do this. We loosened capital flow rules, we loosened profit repatriation rules, we reduced or eliminated tariffs. That's not to say that Chinese/Asian companies would never have gotten good at doing this on their own. But the situation we are actually is not really a result of their excellence and/or costs - it's because we elected political representatives who allowed the capital class to fuck us over, and so they did.

deanCommie 3y ago
I'm much more socialist than the average HN'er, but let's not mistake - they pursued increased profits AND massively reduced prices. Now we can say the price reduction wasn't worth it and the bang for buck has actually gotten worse as we've made more things more accessible. That the cost of everything being cheaper is that we have to buy more of it, creating more waste, contributing more to climate change, etc. But ultimately globalization and the move to manufacturing in China HAS contributed to a huge amount of prosperity world wide as geographies that would've never been able to afford certain devices, tools, or even just entertainment before, have been able to.
- spiralx 3y ago
  Heh, you've just made me consider that the asymptote of capitalism is communism.
  - lucubratory 3y ago
    "What the bourgeoisie therefore produces, above all, are its own grave diggers." - some German dude
- tehjoker 3y ago
  Yep, the trick of neoliberalism was they reduced worker shares of wages, but they tried to cover that up by reducing the price of commodities (but not fundamentals like land, education, healthcare etc).
  - deanCommie 3y ago
    That view is still highly Western-centric. In North America, and maybe Europe, the share of worker wages has decreased to the benefit of the elite, but World-wide prosperity has increased DRAMATICALLY in the decades of "globalism" and "neoliberalism" BILLIONS of people escaped poverty worldwide in exchange for the millions that entered it in the US. Unfortunately it's not clear what the next step for those billions is. It's certainly not the path that the US and Europe went through for their post-industrial and post-war boom. But what is it instead? It's uncertain and unwritten. At this point the existential threat to the majority of humanity isn't a lack of clean drinking water, vaccinations, and upward mobility opportunity. It's climate, heat waves, flood, and all the effects that affect everyone across class divides (except the 0.01% in their mountain bunkers)