US Production

[Python]

Hi guys, I was thinking about this earlier and wondered if I was way off the mark and how others felt. With production costs rising in China more and more, are we reaching a point where production could possibly be moved to the USA? The reason I thought about this is that I enjoy building the odd model kit. In 2012, Humbrol who own Airfix moved a large percentage of production back to the United Kingdom from China and I believe they are wanting to move the remainder also. Clearly they thought it was financially viable to do so as they are a huge company that sells products world wide.

The reasons they did this, to ensure supply and high quality is surely the same reason Sideshow might consider this if and when it is financially possible. It is no secret that the main complaint about SS pieces is that often the production pieces are a fair way off the beautiful prototypes we see. And with recent blunders such as the sideways fist clench on the Vader mythos and the upside down Ark reactor on the MK VI lsb it must be costing Sideshow a fortune in cancelled orders and discounts, as must the shipping of items all the way around the world. Are we anywhere near the point those shipping costs could be put towards the higher wages American workers demand and still maintain the profit a business obviously needs to make?

The benefits are clear, Sideshow would know exactly which materials are being used, ensuring the best quality products possible. Delays could be minimised and mistakes could be found and dealt with before they become a real problem as Sideshow themselves would have much easier access to view all stages of production. And the biggest benefit of all, we could have a sideshow rep personally inspect every item before it is boxed up to make sure it deserves that little yellow sticker. SS have some incredibly talented people in the ranks, having them a bit closer to the production pieces could only be a good thing.

And finally, if this were possible, how would people feel about it? Would you have more confidence in the product you are waiting to receive? would you be more inclined to buy an item even knowing it is US made or does it not matter to you? I'm not suggesting production in China is a bad thing, just that maybe SS can't observe and direct proceedings as much as they may like to or as easily as they could closer to home which has led to a few boo boos down the line. If Humbrol managed to do it, maybe others could follow suit?

Discuss

[Kicksplode]

It's an issue a lot of companies have had to grapple with now that China's economy has grown so massive. And while they'd have to pay domestic factory workers higher wages, I imagine Sideshow would save a huge amount of money not having to import thousands of oversized statues from halfway across the world.

Realistically, we'd probably see production shift to Korea or Mexico before America, but you never know. I think if Attakus can pull off manufacturing their product in France, some of these other companies should consider it as well. Attakus' Star Wars products may not be the best in terms of likeness, but as far as paint quality and overall consistency, they put Sideshow to shame. That's the benefit of doing everything in-house and having employees who care about the craft handling everything, rather than random factory drones slaving away for a low wage.

[Matches Malone]

The other consideration is what is the current manufacturing capacity in North America after years and years of outsourcing to the likes of China and India. It could cost Sideshow, or another company, a pretty penny to even set up production.

[jaguargod]

I would definitely give U.S. operations the benefit of the doubt. I would assume that they could deliver a better product until they proved otherwise. I think that the executives at SS could also feel a little better about themselves as human beings for not employing what amounts to slave labor. I'm not sure that applies to wages so much, but definitely the working conditions.

After so many years of this level of QC, one of two things is obvious. Either a majority of the Chinese factory work force takes very little pride in their workmanship, or the factory management has zero ability to find and retain qualified employees. I have definitely seen some good quality items come out of SS recently, but it is very hit and miss. And I really don't care too much about the hits because they are all items from lines that don't interest me. It seems that my favorite character, Predator, who is also the most complex of any character line that SS produces, consistently gets contracted out to the factories that are least able to produce them properly.

Whether SS produces their statues in foreign or domestic locations, it all boils down to how involved they remain in every aspect of the production, and how willing they are to hold the producers accountable for their work. As a supervisor myself, if I have a problem with an employee, I make the employee aware of the problem. If that doesn't change the behavior, I put the employee on a performance improvement plan, and if that doesn't work, I terminate the employee and look for a better replacement. This is the part of the evaluation process that SS does not appear to follow through on.

[built2shred]

Well I have seen more items I buy with the "Built in USA" on the bottom of them, seems its slowly swinging back... I think with QC issues and a reputation that Made in China = Crap, business are starting to rethink their manufacturing...

[Python]

Originally Posted by Matches Malone

The other consideration is what is the current manufacturing capacity in North America after years and years of outsourcing to the likes of China and India. It could cost Sideshow, or another company, a pretty penny to even set up production.

I think this is probably the main barrier actually. It would of course be innitially time consuming and possibly expensive but surely it would be worth it once all is said and done.

"Product Manager for Humbrol, Dale Luckhurst said; “It’s been a busy 18 months relocating products back to the UK especially our largest range - enamel paints. Our entire colour range has been reformulated and colour matched back to original Humbrol standards.”

Humbrol presumably thought it was worth the busy 18 months to relocate and now have full control over production, he is essentially saying there there product had been of a lesser quality since moving production to China which they have now fixed. As a customer myself, there products are also notably better in quality recently. So while difficult, it might not be a deal breaker. It will just require a brave decision from the big boss and a bit of commitment I guess.

[hideousboi]

four letter make this idea impossible OSHA.

[dakkonmc]

I think the problem is sideshow and not China. A lot of high end luxury brand has moved some of their manufacturing to china such as LV and BMW and they don't seem to have a lot of quality control issues with their manufacturing.

The reality is... Sideshow needs to take more responsibility. Even in the high end luxury brand. There are companies that has many issues with poor build quality and bad customer service

[PermaGrin]

I would gladly pay more for better quality on home turf.

I started looking for US based ones, but came up with nothing but basically customs.

[El Diablo]

Originally Posted by dakkonmc

I think the problem is sideshow and not China. A lot of high end luxury brand has moved some of their manufacturing to china such as LV and BMW and they don't seem to have a lot of quality control issues with their manufacturing.

The reality is... Sideshow needs to take more responsibility. Even in the high end luxury brand. There are companies that has many issues with poor build quality and bad customer service

moving production to the US (or anywhere else for that matter) wouldn't automatically mean higher standards, they may even drop. The only thing it would allow is for SS to more easily check on production, but with how easy it is to travel globally nowadays even that advantage is doubtful.
Like dakkonmc says the poor standard in finish is solely on sideshows shoulders. They should have someone out their on a permanent basis checking on production.