There has been a lot of concern about the quality of Chinese products [and I have shared that concern for a long time].
I learned long ago while working in the automotive industry that sources of cheap components... really cheap components... came at the price of safety. Why? Because these products were "reverse engineered" by people who had little knowledge of engineering. The were simply visual copies of a well-engineered product. When subjected to real-life conditions, these visual copies quickly failed at the first occurrence of stress.Now that American companies, such as Mattel, source their products to China, they provide that country's manufacturing facilities with designs and specifications so that they don't end up with visual copies of what they originally intended.
But old habits apparently die hard. Why bother with American specifications when the products can look like they were intended to look? A little lead paint here, a little adhesive left out there, some poisonous filler instead of the intended ingredient throughout... keep the costs down and everyone gets wealthy. What's the harm?Now the Detroit News runs the headline: Safety measures may hike toy prices up to 10 percent in '08.
You mean we'll have to pay for what we normally get when products are made in the U.S.?
Revelation 1:1
You mean that we can't simply trust the Chinese to do the right thing?
Revelation 1:2
Looks like the U.S. companies may have to send over some product and safety engineers to do item-by-item inspections as the look-alikes come off the production line. After all, many of the shoddy products were produced after the Chinese got approval with samples that met specifications.
I refer you to this.
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