Chinese steel for narrowboats

[Guest]

My reasoning is pretty simple.

 

Your post was a generalisation.

 

It was like saying everything made in the UK is 'crap' which is patently untrue.[/quote

 

Hmm you are right I suppose. But when I see that little black and white sticker that reads ' made in China' it just doesn't read quality. In fact it's not even a quality sticker. Probably ' made in China'

Apple embosse it on their products.

[Rufford]

I think the main issue a lot of people are overlooking is warranty and support. If I buy from China I have neither, if I buy in this country I have both a warranty or guarantee or trade description act etc if things are to go wrong.

 

You can even turn up on their doorstep if needs be.

 

Plus be careful what you buy from China as some items can carry extra taxation in the form of an 'anti dumping charge'. I recently costed out a few thousand mugs and was shocked to find that after shipping and all the taxes that if was quite more expensive to order from China.

[Guest]

I think I give up....

 

It's like banging your head on a brick wall sometimes posting on here.

 

Good night all.

[fudd]

Apple embosse it on their products.

Assembled, I think you'll find. ?

Night night

Edited October 20, 2015 by fudd

[Guest]

Assembled, I think you'll find.

Night night

Shrewd aren't they.

 

Nigh night.

[zenataomm]

This thread lost its way tonight, and consequently is not fit for purpose.

[Guest]

This thread lost its way tonight, and consequently is not fit for purpose.

Fair enough.

 

Ok let's try another angle.

 

How many boats on uk inland waterways made in China and/or made from steel made in China have sunk due to premature hull perforation?

 

Or are at risk of doing so due to advanced hull corrosion.

[bizzard]

If it did sink you'd most likely have to say TATA to it.

[Peter X]

If it did sink you'd most likely have to say TATA to it.

No, on most canals you'd still see the top Peking above the water.

[nb Innisfree]

No, on most canals you'd still see the top Peking above the water.

It would cooly offy

 

Coat....

Edited October 20, 2015 by nb Innisfree

[bizzard]

Sweet 'n' sour. A chink in a weld.

[Phil Ambrose]

I have been following this thread with interest as an ex-toolmaker and I think I can sum it up by saying "people with no knowledge of metallurgy trying to sound as if they do"

Just remember this all steel of which there are many hundreds of different types are made to a recipe just like a cake. It matters not where the "cake" is made, if it's made to the recipe it will be fine.

Phil

[Athy]

Just remember this all steel of which there are many hundreds of different types are made to a recipe just like a cake. It matters not where the "cake" is made, if it's made to the recipe it will be fine.

Phil

Sweet And Sour Steel?

[bizzard]

You can easily order the wong steel by winging the wong number. It's safer to go to a takeaway.

[Athy]

You can easily order the wong steel by winging the wong number. It's safer to go to a takeaway.

I have seen boatbuilding adverts which assert that they use "43" steel. Truth can be stranger than fiction.

 

I have no idea what 43 steel is, if it's better or worse than 42 or 44 steel, or even if it comes with cashew nuts.

[bizzard]

I have seen boatbuilding adverts which assert that they use "43" steel. Truth can be stranger than fiction.

 

I have no idea what 43 steel is, if it's better or worse than 42 or 44 steel, or even if it comes with cashew nuts.

43 is Special fried rice and spare rib. 43 is chicken chow mein, 44 is beef nudles and chips. Prawn crackers thrown in with all.

Edited October 21, 2015 by bizzard

[cuthound]

Wonder how many people are reading this thread on Chinese made computers, phones or tablets, with the data winging its way towards them from Chinese made servers via our Chinese made telecoms equipment?

 

Still the 1's and 0's are probably made up of British thoughts.

[Murflynn]

I have seen boatbuilding adverts which assert that they use "43" steel. Truth can be stranger than fiction.

 

I have no idea what 43 steel is, if it's better or worse than 42 or 44 steel, or even if it comes with cashew nuts.

I think you'll find it is bog standard mild steel manufactured for fabrication work like boats and girders.

[bizzard]

And No 69 is, Mrs Wung said to Mr Wung 'I'm not getting up and cooking at this time of night'.

[Hawkmoth]

what isn't British?

 

Does it really matter if the cars we build have a Honda, Nissan, TATA/Jaguar or BMW/Mini badge? Those cars are all 1000% better than the crap we used to build in 'the good old days'.

 

The UK currently has automotive technology to match the best in the business.

You seem to be deliberately missing my point.

Bob

[Woodstock]

I try not to buy anything I know that is made in China. The quality is questionable and their sweat box ethic is even more so. Probably, the reason our steel manufacturing plants are going bust is because of the cheap rubbish stuff that is getting dumped on our shores. It's not just steel, nearly everything we buy is either funded by or manufactured by the Chinese. quality control is crap.

Completely disagree. I've spent 12 years working with Chinese suppliers and the point with any supplier regardless of location is to work with them. We put a lot of effort into agreeing very clear specifications, agreeing processes and inspection processes and rates. My complaints rate per million units sold is much lower than many competitors. My experience has been fantastic to see my suppliers absorb information and knowledge and apply best practice's. In the locations of my suppliers they have labour laws including minimum wages and are definitely not sweat shops. I have 2 staff based in Shanghai who constantly work with our suppliers and they are superb- they work hard and are constantly learning and want to learn. It's impossible to generalise on an origin- its down to who cares enough to put the effort in and work as a partnership. Some goods from China can be excellent- some aren't, same as anywhere

 

Oh and we don't do quality control, we do quality assurance- we ensure compliance of ingredients and processes right from the start ensuring EU compliance and our monthly right first time figures are rarely less than 100% versus spec

Edited October 21, 2015 by Woodstock

[Phil Ambrose]

Great post Woodstock, have a virtual greenie.

Phil

[Cheshire cat]

Completely disagree. I've spent 12 years working with Chinese suppliers and the point with any supplier regardless of location is to work with them. We put a lot of effort into agreeing very clear specifications, agreeing processes and inspection processes and rates. My complaints rate per million units sold is much lower than many competitors. My experience has been fantastic to see my suppliers absorb information and knowledge and apply best practice's. In the locations of my suppliers they have labour laws including minimum wages and are definitely not sweat shops. I have 2 staff based in Shanghai who constantly work with our suppliers and they are superb- they work hard and are constantly learning and want to learn. It's impossible to generalise on an origin- its down to who cares enough to put the effort in and work as a partnership. Some goods from China can be excellent- some aren't, same as anywhere

 

Oh and we don't do quality control, we do quality assurance- we ensure compliance of ingredients and processes right from the start ensuring EU compliance and our monthly right first time figures are rarely less than 100% versus spec

That says it all really but I can't help wondering if inspection processes and rates wouldn't be lower if the product was Japanese. I think the Chinese are on a learning curve. They need help getting to the summit. In the meantime, I as a consumer have a headache.

 

There's absolutely no reason why Chinese products can't be as good as anything produced anywhere else but there are far too many examples of quality assurance being missing. Stuff can be cheap because the labour rate is low and even cheaper if the labour rate is low and corners being cut.

 

Buy a set of cheap drills from B&Q and see what I mean. They are a poor imitation of what a drill should be. You get what you pay for but without being able to test them before we buy we don't know how much of the cheapness is down to low labour costs and how much is down to compromised product.

[Guest]

True. I am planning to replace my truck soon and my choices have boiled down to a Volvo, Mercedez-Benz or Renault. There just isn't a British truck produced any more. Quite why Sweden, Germany and France can build trucks and we can't is beyon d me.

We are capable of building many things, but our short sighted politicians chose to sell money instead.

Japanese motorcycles used to be a joke and while everyone was sniggering Japanese motorcycles (and cars) were slowly and inexorably getting better until the Japs had the last inscrutable laugh.

 

Or is it only the Chinese who are inscrutable?

So true.

Edited October 21, 2015 by Guest

[Guest]

So true.

 

My recollection of how they gained a march on British manufacturers was that they increasingly supplied things as standard (such as a radio, Heated rear screen etc etc) that British makers charged extra for,

 

Teesport at Middlesbrough was the port where some of the first Datsuns first came into the country and my Dad's friend was a manager at the port who had a Datsun company car. I remember it being so much better specified than dad's Cortina which he had at the time.