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> Banning DJI drones in the US lets you build a factory in the US that can eventually get costs down. I anticipate exactly zero automated drone factories.

kaibee 2y ago
I don't see why. Drones are pretty simple manufacturing wise. The issue at scale is the supply chain of cheap motors, cheap control boards, and cheap batteries.
- hooverd 2y ago
  Sure, but you won't be allowed to buy one for less than the cost of a small car.
  - Teever 2y ago
    which, the factory that builds drones or the drones themselves? What would stop someone from building their own cargo container sized drone factory that takes parts like motors, pcbs, batteries in one end and spits out finished drones on the other?
samatman 2y ago
"automated factory" is somewhat redundant, no? The point is that most people who will buy a $700 Chinese drone will buy a $1000 US drone if that's all they can get. I am of the opinion that the US made a very serious mistake by opening up tariff-free trade with countries which do not have comparable labor and environmental safety laws. The Feds should have come up with reasonable estimates of what foreign manufacturing was saving by cheating that way, and charged them that amount of money to sell products in the US. Factories which wanted to avoid those tariffs could pay for, and submit to, an independent audit of their factories. Instead we decided that it was fine for US manufacturing to compete on an "even" basis with nations who are fine with laborers losing fingers and/or getting paid slave wages, and manufacturers dumping their waste stream into a nearby river. We've paid a severe price for that misguided egalitarianism, and it's time to change course.
- mcculley 2y ago
  > US made a very serious mistake by Was it a mistake if the goal was to get cheaper products at the expense of foreigners losing fingers? I agree it is myopic policy for the long term, but certainly many voters are happy to push safety problems somewhere else.
  - luma 2y ago
    It is bad policy long term, and this policy has been around for a long time. At some point we need to address bad policy.
    - b112 2y ago
      As duties and trade restrictions were dropped in the late 70s and 80s, the mantra was that by doing so, the West would "uplift" poorer countries such as China. The goals to improve quality of life, transform the third world from agrarian to mass production, with a hope of spreading democratic principles as well. And yes, over and over this was the desireded goal, I remember the election campaigns, the speeches, the white papers, the think tanks. This has mostly been a success, looking at many such countries. The standard of living has gone up, for example China now has a "middle class" of sorts. Environmental concerns were not on the radar at the time, not 50 years ago, not like today. The intentions were reasonably positive and well founded. Of course, I agree reassessment is necessary, and it really should always be.
    - katbyte 2y ago
      It was great for short term profit and stock value and everyone involved in making those choices is either dead or soon to be dead and doesn’t have to deal with the fallout.
- logicchains 2y ago
  >The point is that most people who will buy a $700 Chinese drone will buy a $1000 US drone if that's all they can get. In the consumer market, if the $1000 drone has a significantly worse user experience then people just won't buy it. Before DJI the consumer drone market was much smaller; by creating a cheap, high-quality product DJI caused more people to purchase drones, growing the market. If there's no competitive alternative the market will just shrink again; consumer drones aren't a necessity.

kaibee 2y ago

I don't see why. Drones are pretty simple manufacturing wise. The issue at scale is the supply chain of cheap motors, cheap control boards, and cheap batteries.

hooverd 2y ago
Sure, but you won't be allowed to buy one for less than the cost of a small car.
- Teever 2y ago
  which, the factory that builds drones or the drones themselves? What would stop someone from building their own cargo container sized drone factory that takes parts like motors, pcbs, batteries in one end and spits out finished drones on the other?

samatman 2y ago

"automated factory" is somewhat redundant, no? The point is that most people who will buy a $700 Chinese drone will buy a $1000 US drone if that's all they can get. I am of the opinion that the US made a very serious mistake by opening up tariff-free trade with countries which do not have comparable labor and environmental safety laws. The Feds should have come up with reasonable estimates of what foreign manufacturing was saving by cheating that way, and charged them that amount of money to sell products in the US. Factories which wanted to avoid those tariffs could pay for, and submit to, an independent audit of their factories. Instead we decided that it was fine for US manufacturing to compete on an "even" basis with nations who are fine with laborers losing fingers and/or getting paid slave wages, and manufacturers dumping their waste stream into a nearby river. We've paid a severe price for that misguided egalitarianism, and it's time to change course.

mcculley 2y ago
> US made a very serious mistake by Was it a mistake if the goal was to get cheaper products at the expense of foreigners losing fingers? I agree it is myopic policy for the long term, but certainly many voters are happy to push safety problems somewhere else.
- luma 2y ago
  It is bad policy long term, and this policy has been around for a long time. At some point we need to address bad policy.
  - b112 2y ago
    As duties and trade restrictions were dropped in the late 70s and 80s, the mantra was that by doing so, the West would "uplift" poorer countries such as China. The goals to improve quality of life, transform the third world from agrarian to mass production, with a hope of spreading democratic principles as well. And yes, over and over this was the desireded goal, I remember the election campaigns, the speeches, the white papers, the think tanks. This has mostly been a success, looking at many such countries. The standard of living has gone up, for example China now has a "middle class" of sorts. Environmental concerns were not on the radar at the time, not 50 years ago, not like today. The intentions were reasonably positive and well founded. Of course, I agree reassessment is necessary, and it really should always be.
  - katbyte 2y ago
    It was great for short term profit and stock value and everyone involved in making those choices is either dead or soon to be dead and doesn’t have to deal with the fallout.
logicchains 2y ago
>The point is that most people who will buy a $700 Chinese drone will buy a $1000 US drone if that's all they can get. In the consumer market, if the $1000 drone has a significantly worse user experience then people just won't buy it. Before DJI the consumer drone market was much smaller; by creating a cheap, high-quality product DJI caused more people to purchase drones, growing the market. If there's no competitive alternative the market will just shrink again; consumer drones aren't a necessity.