5 ms·

This is great news for RPi team and for uk manufacturing. I've been saying for over a year now that if there is a reasonable level of automation then there is n

This is great news for RPi team and for uk manufacturing. I've been saying for over a year now that if there is a reasonable level of automation then there is no reason why china should be cheaper than the uk.so long as you can maintain a robust supply chain of components (I should think using a sony facility is beneficial to this) then it can work out great. We priced our product for uk and china and china was infact more expensive because of the way they price plastics. Sometimes UK is best

lgeek 14y ago
I think at some point they've said that there are some import taxes for components but none for assembled devices.
oliwarner 14y ago
I completely agree but it's not just wages and taxes. China has everything they need to bleem out consumer electronics indefinitely. They source the materials within China and they produce [most of] the components in China. It's all there under one currency. I love England but we don't really have the rare earth metals required to do this stuff. We need to import them and that means paying China more money. Often more money than it would be to have them fab the whole thing in the first place. I agree that this is something that needs to happen eventually. If the world keeps paying China to make everything they will end up owning us all. On paper they probably already do.
- simonbarker87 14y ago
  It's very true that if the components are made in china then it is easier to keep your supply chain reliable if you assemble next door and that's a risk of bring assembly back to uk but some other risks (which can be of greater concern) are reduced by shipping components to the uk and then assembling. It all depends what your product uses, there's no longer a one size fits all solution that there seemed to be 10 years ago of "just make it there and ship it back"
- andrewcooke 14y ago
  "bleem"?
  - jrockway 14y ago
    It's clear from context that it's a perfectly cromulent word.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - freehunter 14y ago
      True, but using unusual words embiggens the chance that your audience might not understand. The only regular use of bleem Google finds is for a PS1 emulator.
      - deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
      - finnw 14y ago
        There's also this bleem[1], but that wouldn't make sense either. [1]: [http://www.strangehorizons.com/2000/20001120/secret_number.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/2000/20001120/secret_number.s...]
    - enjo 14y ago
      That is quite possibly the perfect reply. Are you an englishman by chance? Because the level of snark is just perfect:)
    - StavrosK 14y ago
      You appear intragnizent.
  - Shish2k 14y ago
    I imagine when your production rate is measured in KHz, that's what it sounds like
- eru 14y ago
  > I agree that this is something that needs to happen eventually. If the world keeps paying China to make everything they will end up owning us all. On paper they probably already do. That's too pessimistic. Broaden your horizon away from the British (and perhaps US) example. The German economy is doing fine for manufacturing, but they have no qualms about importing from China at all.
  - adestefan 14y ago
    Manufacturing in the US is also very strong, might even be the highest it's ever been. The, so called, problem is that it doesn't really hire as many people as it used to due to automation.
    - eru 14y ago
      Yes. I was complaining more about the attitude than about the actual situation.
    - arethuza 14y ago
      Manufacturing is also pretty strong in the UK - it just doesn't employ many people so everyone assumes we don't do it anymore.
      - eru 14y ago
        The Economist recently had an article about the "Midlandstand". (They are very pun-y.)
- ajross 14y ago
  This is true for everything except the actual electronics. There are a handful of fabs for small bits in China, and factories that make discrete components. But almost without exception serious semiconductor manufacture happens elsewhere. To be fair, often that "elsewhere" is Japan, Korea or Taiwan, which are much closer to a Chinese production chain than a British one.
- jakeonthemove 14y ago
  The UK has always depended on import to sustain its industry. Pretty much nothing's changed since it was a colonial empire - it's just that the materials and parts are sourced from independent countries now. I was surprised to find out that Land Rover outsources the manufacturing of most of the exterior and interior trimming on the mainland, then ships everything for assembly to the UK, for example. The same is probably true for the electronics and most engine parts, as well. Volvo (Sweden) does the exact same thing...

lgeek 14y ago

I think at some point they've said that there are some import taxes for components but none for assembled devices.

oliwarner 14y ago

I completely agree but it's not just wages and taxes. China has everything they need to bleem out consumer electronics indefinitely. They source the materials within China and they produce [most of] the components in China. It's all there under one currency. I love England but we don't really have the rare earth metals required to do this stuff. We need to import them and that means paying China more money. Often more money than it would be to have them fab the whole thing in the first place. I agree that this is something that needs to happen eventually. If the world keeps paying China to make everything they will end up owning us all. On paper they probably already do.

simonbarker87 14y ago
It's very true that if the components are made in china then it is easier to keep your supply chain reliable if you assemble next door and that's a risk of bring assembly back to uk but some other risks (which can be of greater concern) are reduced by shipping components to the uk and then assembling. It all depends what your product uses, there's no longer a one size fits all solution that there seemed to be 10 years ago of "just make it there and ship it back"
andrewcooke 14y ago
"bleem"?
- jrockway 14y ago
  It's clear from context that it's a perfectly cromulent word.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - freehunter 14y ago
    True, but using unusual words embiggens the chance that your audience might not understand. The only regular use of bleem Google finds is for a PS1 emulator.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - finnw 14y ago
      There's also this bleem[1], but that wouldn't make sense either. [1]: [http://www.strangehorizons.com/2000/20001120/secret_number.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/2000/20001120/secret_number.s...]
  - enjo 14y ago
    That is quite possibly the perfect reply. Are you an englishman by chance? Because the level of snark is just perfect:)
  - StavrosK 14y ago
    You appear intragnizent.
- Shish2k 14y ago
  I imagine when your production rate is measured in KHz, that's what it sounds like
eru 14y ago
> I agree that this is something that needs to happen eventually. If the world keeps paying China to make everything they will end up owning us all. On paper they probably already do. That's too pessimistic. Broaden your horizon away from the British (and perhaps US) example. The German economy is doing fine for manufacturing, but they have no qualms about importing from China at all.
- adestefan 14y ago
  Manufacturing in the US is also very strong, might even be the highest it's ever been. The, so called, problem is that it doesn't really hire as many people as it used to due to automation.
  - eru 14y ago
    Yes. I was complaining more about the attitude than about the actual situation.
  - arethuza 14y ago
    Manufacturing is also pretty strong in the UK - it just doesn't employ many people so everyone assumes we don't do it anymore.
    - eru 14y ago
      The Economist recently had an article about the "Midlandstand". (They are very pun-y.)
ajross 14y ago
This is true for everything except the actual electronics. There are a handful of fabs for small bits in China, and factories that make discrete components. But almost without exception serious semiconductor manufacture happens elsewhere. To be fair, often that "elsewhere" is Japan, Korea or Taiwan, which are much closer to a Chinese production chain than a British one.
jakeonthemove 14y ago
The UK has always depended on import to sustain its industry. Pretty much nothing's changed since it was a colonial empire - it's just that the materials and parts are sourced from independent countries now. I was surprised to find out that Land Rover outsources the manufacturing of most of the exterior and interior trimming on the mainland, then ships everything for assembly to the UK, for example. The same is probably true for the electronics and most engine parts, as well. Volvo (Sweden) does the exact same thing...