Read on another thread that Milwaukee is closing plants in the states and moving to Mexico. I asked the company directly via their web about this and here is the response i received: PS, tried to post this directly to the original thread, but dont think i was successful.
| Rich Peterson – 05/09/2003 05:16:34 PM: | |
| View Image | |
| Subject: | Manufacturing Locations |
| Response To: | View Image Manufacturing moving to Mexico |
| Category: | Manufacturing |
| Comments: | |
| As you have read in the media over the past year, both Porter-Cable and DeWalt’s parents have announced plant relocations to the Far East and Eastern Europe and will close all manufacturing facilities in the US. In the foreseeable future, we are not closing any facilities in the US. In fact, we are just completing an $8 Million, 50,000 square foot addition to our plant in Greenwood, Mississippi. We currently have production facilities in Greenwood, Jackson and Kosciusko, Mississippi; Blytheville, Arkansas; Brookfield, Wisconsin and now Matamoros, Mexico. The decision to add a facility in Matamoros was so we can remain competitive while ensuring the product quality, reliability and durability. No matter where our products are assembled, they all pass our same drop test. Wherever we manufacture a product, we do so to the highest standards of quality. | |
Replies
Air Force Guy,
I think it's high time that all Americans give all companies who relocate, the "drop test", period!
Honestly, I think our government needs to step in and say to these CEOs that if they decide to shut down an existing USA plant and relocate to a foriegn country, then all products manufactured there should be hit with a 100% import tax...and/or simply be banned from being sold in the USA. Let them instead sell their products on the foriegn market, since they were made in a foriegn country. Would be interesting to see how long those companies would keep their foriegn plants operating if such was the case.
Foriegn workers are being paid "peanuts", and such countries have very few, if infact any, labor laws, and environmental laws that the big corporations have to be in compliance with, yet...the bottom line is the price for the manufactured product is as high if not higher than when the product had first been manufactured and sold in the USA. Consumer price does not reflect any savings the corporation gained by relocating. The poor consumer gets hit for top price...all the while, corporate PROFITS start to soar... but who besides the upper crust management ever sees a penny of this profit?
There used to be a time long ago when our local newspapers would print out the names of the companies that bought steel from our local steel mills. Primarily, our mills produced "tin-plate" which was (and still is ) used by the food canning industry. Not all cannning companies used our local product. The sentiment was that you should buy your soups and canned goods from those companies that supported your local industry...your livelihood..and let the other companies be dammed...which is primarily what we did.
Why should anyone support a company or industry that in no way supports you back?
That sentiment kept people working, and kept our industry strong. Today is a different story. It seems like CEOs can't get it through their heads that if you lay people off, they will no longer have the buying power to purchase those company products. It's high time that CEOs start thinking about sacrificing a little on their overall profit margins and concern themselves more with keeping their employees working.
AND, it's high time our Senators and congressmen and women in Washington, DC start standing up for the common good of the United States instead of worrying about stupid party politics and PAC money.
There should be no such thing as a "career" politician. Politicians are SUPPOSE to work for the good of the PEOPLE; instead they work for the good of themselves and their re-election campaigns. Our fore-fathers were NOT career politicians. They came from all walks of life, and returned back to that way of life after serving for just a few years. Our govt should rewrite laws governing eligibilty. Politicians should only be allowed to serve "X" amount of years (terms) in a row, afterwhich it should be MANDATORY that they sit out a term or two before EVER being eligible to run for that same political office again. If it was in my power, politicians would never serve more than 8 years in a row, period. And, they would have to sit out 8 years before being allowed to return.
Yessir, if we took the politician out of politics, we might actually get some good, constructive legislation that would be passed for the ACTUAL BETTERMENT of the people; instead of for the advancement of one political party's dominence over another. Alas...I doubt I will live long enough to see that day come to pass.
Davo
Edited 5/18/2003 3:38:43 AM ET by Davo