Mieles made in China

[sebo_fan]

End of the day you can moan about China in general if that's your opinion. Im a happy Mac owner - I know some of the components in my Mac are made in China. Im happy with that -the computer is uber reliable. Same with PC's, same with tablets. Its the brands who determine the build and if Miele continue to produce in China, so what?

Im not too sure what the underlying feeling is from the member who created this original post. On the basis that mostly everything is made in China these days, its not as if you can do anything else about it.

Im not sure if Wessel Werk products are made in China, but if they are, well, they're an industry standard.

 

[adamthemieleman]

I think Miele opened a joint venture with another German company in China. It's the old variants that are made there, but all the parts such as the plastics and motors are made in Germany. It's similar to their plant in the Czech Republic, they assemble dryers and some of the lower end dishwashers, all the parts are still made in house.

 

[turbo500]

There's a Currys Exclusive Cat & Dog based on the older 2000's design - that's made in China.

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/home-a...r-vacuum-cleaner-autumn-red-10023847-pdt.html

 

[sebo4me]

You are correct Sebo Fan there is nothing we can do about it

If the quality of Miele products stays high I will have no complaints.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

I have a problem with it. This isn't "globalisation", this is a take-over. There is no diversity in manufacturing, it is literally all made in China. If I buy a Miele product, i pay a premium. I want proper German manufacturing and engineering. Or am I paying for an overpriced Chinese made version with spies taking ideas and selling them to other Chinese companies, like they have done with Qualcomm, Volkswagen, GM, Apple amongst hundreds of other western companies?

No. I dont like Miele anyways. I would much rather stick with SEBO. There is no excuse to make in China anymore with rising wages, espionage amongst so many other problems that comes with manufacturing their. The Japanese have the right idea; they are relocating into other parts of asia and actually, in the case of Panaosnic, bringing production back to Japan.

 

[vintagerepairer]

There would be nothing made in China if the consumers who bought it were willing to pay the cost of having it built in Europe.

Meile may command a "premium price" in comparison to their competition, but it's still a price we could only have dreamed of a few years ago.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Actually, the consumers were not given a choice. When EBAC conducted a survey in England earlier in the year, they found people would pay extra/seek a British made product over an imported product. DFS say one of the biggest things people enquire about when buying sofas is where they are made.

There are cheap Chinese products but a lot of them are just as expensive as they would have been being made in the west. It is a joke that some Hoover models which cost upwards of £250 are made in China with terrible build quality compared to £200 Sebo felix for example which is German built and far superior in pretty much every way.

 

[vintagerepairer]

How were consumers not given the choice? For years and years and years they could walk into a shop and decide how much they wanted to spend. Imported goods were often so much cheaper to buy.

 

[sebo_fan]

Respectively though Oli, I think people would jump at a sofa being made anywhere other than China given the dodgy plastic sofas that were a national warning to buyers because of fake fire retardant labels and plastic fabric that brought people out in rashes. Those are the reasons to why DFS customers would demand a piece of furniture’s origin.

Benny has a point and a very good one at that. British consumers have always been given a choice of products and in some cases dependent on the product have been told where it is made.

Largely due to some mainstream British brands that perhaps haven't done so well, buyers are less likely to choose buying British again. Sadly even with the likes of Numatic vacs being so well made for example, many buyers would rather buy a Chinese built vacuum simply because of the cheaper cost price, alone.

 

[godfreys_guy]

Made where?

I think these days, that there is still certainly a place for premium products that are made in Europe or America.

In Australia, people always do ask where things are made, it doesn't always sway the decision - but things in the higher price end of their catagory can struggle if not made in Europe or America.
EG:
1. Washers and Dryers over $1500
2. Vacuums over $1000
3. Cooking Appliances over $1500

 

[vintagerepairer]

Doing an online calculation, a £250 washing machine here would be $527 in Australia. I don't think there are many people here in the UK who would pay double that, so they'd struggle to sell here too, not just because of the country of origin, but because when people pay double the price, they often seem to want more than double the product in return. I think that is sensible.

For instance Meile washing machines are still the top-end over here, but it is perfectly possible to buy three very cheap machines for the same price and to renew them more often than one might a Meile. You may even get more years out of three cheap machines, collectivly.

 

[sebo_fan]

Dont they have top loaders in Australia, anyway? They're not commonplace in the UK.

 

[turbo500]

Dont they have top loaders in Australia, anyway?

I think it's a pretty even split in Aus between front loaders and toploaders. At least, that's the impression I get from the Australian washer guys over on the Service Wash group.

 

[godfreys_guy]

Toploaders in Aus

It varies on the store - there is more GP$ in a Top Loader (because they are made of Almuninum foil, white paint and a cheap motor) so some store push them - Our store looks at a bigger picture and we sell 20-1. All the staff in the appliance department have Front Loaders, and We all push them - Top Loaders... pssshhhhh go bash your clothes on a rock.