Audiolab and Country Of Origin markings ?
So while looking over my Audiolab m-dac last night I noticed that there are big bold markings for the Audiolab brand name with a reference to the current address of the warehouse in Huntingdon next to it. However there seems to be a distinct lack of markings referring to the Made In China part, I thought that it was now compulsory to mark products with a COO under the trade descriptions act. As it is anyone looking at this particular unit would think they are purchasing a prestigious UK based and manufactured Hi-Fi product which has come straight out of the factory in Huntingdon. Could it be that IAG are trading on Audiolabs past Made in England heritage to boost their sales.
Not 100% sure but I don't think that this is the case either, I'm pretty sure they come in complete and that Huntingdon is just a warehouse with after sales offices.
Do you like the sound of it?
I wouldn't worry to much a lot of these production facilities in the far east are superior to anything here!
Do you like the sound of it?
I wouldn't worry to much a lot of these production facilities in the far east are superior to anything here!
Whether people like it or not some UK manufactured goods (especially from prestigious old UK brands) can and do demand a higher price than its Asian made counterparts.
I think Chebby's link covers the answer to the question, it should say Made In PRC on the unit.
Do you like the sound of it?
I wouldn't worry to much a lot of these production facilities in the far east are superior to anything here!
That's not the issue. It's about clarity regarding where an item is manufactured.
If 'Audiolab, Huntingdon. United Kingdom PE29 6XU' is printed on the back of an item that is made entirely in China (with no mention of China whatsoever), then - understandably - it could mislead.
Yes, it doesn't actually say "Made in Huntingdon", so it's not a lie. It does suggest to me though that they don't want it's true manufacturing origins known from a look at the back of the equipment.
I’d imagine, although I’m no authority on the subject that the parts may be made in China and assembled in England.
That applies to Naim, not audiolab. Something like the M-DAC is shipped boxed from China then distributed to dealers, quite possibly without going anywhere near Huntingdon. Companies such as Quad & audiolab are shells where even design is often contracted out to well-repected people like John Westlake in the case of certain CDPs & the M-DAC. I've just checked the box - no CofO.
CofO can be a very grey area even with food! Cheese being a case in point - shipped in bulk from abroad then packed here in Blighty but marked as being "produced" here. In the globalised economy, many products are assembled from imported parts from raw materials from somewhere else that may have been recycled form heaven knows where!
The current global model maybe unsustainable to the point that it fractures down to producing stuff locally again. Doing so is a balance between globalised economies of scale on one hand & not transporting coals to Newcastle on the other. Societies may have to sacrifice cheap goods for the sake of local employment.
People tend to get worried about the standard of production in China but this is often unfounded. China are fantastic producers at most price points, they make plenty of sub-standard tat at the kind of prices others can’t compete with but they also have very able production facilities at mid and high-end price points too. They’ll make pretty much anything at a great price to standard ratio.
Sorry I was maybe thinking that the OP was questioning the quality of far east products.
I should of read the post properly, sadly not much is made here now in this country!
Then why aren't IAG (Chinese owned) happy to print 'Made In China' on the back of their Chinese manufactured products?
The back of my iPhone (for instance) makes it quite clear where it was designed and where it was assembled.
Cambridge Audio also make it clear that their kit is designed in England and made in China.
The current global model maybe unsustainable to the point that it fractures down to producing stuff locally again. Doing so is a balance between globalised economies of scale on one hand & not transporting coals to Newcastle on the other. Societies may have to sacrifice cheap goods for the sake of local employment.
In the 19th century Cobden wrote "... [should] a country be found whose cottons and woolens shall be cheaper than those of England and the rest of the world then to that spot ... shall all the traders of the earth flock; and no human power, no fleets or armies. will prevent Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds from sharing the fate of their once proud predecessors in Holland, Italy and Phoenicia ...". He was right and the textile industry is no longer located in Britain and what he said applies in the same way to every industry and we in this country would do best to realise that the world changes and we need to change with it.
Chris
I’d imagine, although I’m no authority on the subject that the parts may be made in China and assembled in England.
That applies to Naim, not audiolab. Something like the M-DAC is shipped boxed from China then distributed to dealers, quite possibly without going anywhere near Huntingdon. Companies such as Quad & audiolab are shells where even design is often contracted out to well-repected people like John Westlake in the case of certain CDPs & the M-DAC. I've just checked the box - no CofO.
CofO can be a very grey area even with food! Cheese being a case in point - shipped in bulk from abroad then packed here in Blighty but marked as being "produced" here. In the globalised economy, many products are assembled from imported parts from raw materials from somewhere else that may have been recycled form heaven knows where!
The current global model maybe unsustainable to the point that it fractures down to producing stuff locally again. Doing so is a balance between globalised economies of scale on one hand & not transporting coals to Newcastle on the other. Societies may have to sacrifice cheap goods for the sake of local employment.
I wish more people would produce locally, that is 'in the Uk'. That's the way it used to be. Most of my customers like the fact that it is home grown, that is to say at least 55% of it.
Sorry I was maybe thinking that the OP was questioning the quality of far east products.
I should of read the post properly, sadly not much is made here now in this country!
The UK actually has quite a lot of manufacturing and certainly over the last 50 years or so there has not been a significant drop off in output. Some sectors have serious reductions others growth. The numbers employed have reduced and these redundancies are often associated with a decline but if anything we have a strong output and this is key to our exports.
Hi-Fi is slighlty different and many brands have moved production overseas to reduce costs but this is a model of ten years ago and if anything the evolution of Chinese factories will see these prices rise. The advantage of cheap production is also far less now as most firms are using it.
Anyway back to the hi-fi .
I’d imagine, although I’m no authority on the subject that the parts may be made in China and assembled in England.
That applies to Naim, not audiolab. Something like the M-DAC is shipped boxed from China then distributed to dealers, quite possibly without going anywhere near Huntingdon. Companies such as Quad & audiolab are shells where even design is often contracted out to well-repected people like John Westlake in the case of certain CDPs & the M-DAC. I've just checked the box - no CofO.
CofO can be a very grey area even with food! Cheese being a case in point - shipped in bulk from abroad then packed here in Blighty but marked as being "produced" here. In the globalised economy, many products are assembled from imported parts from raw materials from somewhere else that may have been recycled form heaven knows where!
The current global model maybe unsustainable to the point that it fractures down to producing stuff locally again. Doing so is a balance between globalised economies of scale on one hand & not transporting coals to Newcastle on the other. Societies may have to sacrifice cheap goods for the sake of local employment.
I wish more people would produce locally, that is 'in the Uk'. That's the way it used to be. Most of my customers like the fact that it is home grown, that is to say at least 55% of it.
The current global model maybe unsustainable to the point that it fractures down to producing stuff locally again. Doing so is a balance between globalised economies of scale on one hand & not transporting coals to Newcastle on the other. Societies may have to sacrifice cheap goods for the sake of local employment.
In the 19th century Cobden wrote "... [should] a country be found whose cottons and woolens shall be cheaper than those of England and the rest of the world then to that spot ... shall all the traders of the earth flock; and no human power, no fleets or armies. will prevent Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds from sharing the fate of their once proud predecessors in Holland, Italy and Phoenicia ...". He was right and the textile industry is no longer located in Britain and what he said applies in the same way to every industry and we in this country would do best to realise that the world changes and we need to change with it.
Chris
That's the commerce-centric view of business that has a great deal of inertia behind it. The world in changing to the point us "little people" are beginning to not only be heard but have collectively more power than many think. Most people don't give a fig where stuff they buy is made but there comes a point when they can't afford even cheap goods, they may just start to care where it's made if it means retaining their means earning money.
On the otherhand, you maybe right, & the 1st world ceases to exist & globalisation equalises pay, healthcare, standards of living, where polution occurs, car ownership etc. Will companies be so eager to move parts of their business overseas if pay began to equalise? It's a very dynamic world we live in & very difficult to predict.
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I’d imagine, although I’m no authority on the subject that the parts may be made in China and assembled in England.