Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/12/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Fri, 20 Dec 2002, Tim Smith wrote: > John Nebel wrote: > > >Leica may have a cost problem. > > > > >From the Economist: > > > >"...virtually all of Germany's biggest firms are setting up plants abroad > >to make products more cheaply" > > > >"The hourly cost of labour in manufacturing industry in western Germany, > >including wages, social-security (including health) and pension > >contributions, is 13% more than in America, 43% more than in Britain and > >59% more than in Spain, according to the US Bureau of Labour > >Statistics..." > > The Economist has been on an anti-German tack for awhile now, given the > apparent socialist aspect of their labor laws, etc. > > It's one thing to move, say, a garment industry off-shore, another to move > an industry with highly skilled workers. What part of Leica's production is > done in Portugal now? Could you move manufacture of the entire product line > to China, and keep the status of the product? Seems doubtful. > > Nonetheless, German industry is facing a crisis. I wonder how Mercedes > (sorry, DaimlerChrysler) and BMW will cope when car sales slump next year > and the year following. > > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > Hi Tim, Actually the US might not be a bad place for Leica manufacture. OK, the Hubble telescope is a famous counter example, but the Americans are pretty good at precision construction. Why not put manufacturing close to the major market and the top imaging chip company? John - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html