mongorat427

iTrader: (82)

My neighbor just bought a set of wheel bearings at Auto Zone - because they carried Timken. We pulled the bearings out of the Timken box and it says right on the bearing. Made in China. When did they move their factory to China ? WTF

mongorat427

iTrader: (82)

Well I did some checking and found this !!! Timken officially closing Gambrinus Bearing production

Timken officially closing Gambrinus Bearing production - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com

over 1000 jobs gone to China and India

emiller

It's a global company. They have facilities all over the world.

Locations

mongorat427

iTrader: (82)

I guess it was cheaper to make the wheel bearings overseas.

mongorat427

iTrader: (82)

The only factory listed in the USA is the Canton Ohio one which is allready shut down. I think most National bearings are allready made overseas. I just ordered a set of Timken bearings for a friends SSTC a couple days ago. Ill let you know what they say on them.

TurboTechRacing

iTrader: (24)

This is what happens when the public is cheap and buys things over seas... What they dont realize is it is putting themselves out of a job...

Even in cobalt parts... Tusudo, Bad Mab, K sport, ect... Same thing, you support china and not your own jobs.

mongorat427

iTrader: (82)

You got that right ! Well we still make beer here I hope they dont mess that up

mongorat427

iTrader: (82)

Seriously though even before I retired 3 years ago most of our industrial bearings were made overseas. Even SKFs factories are all in 3rd world countries now because of cheap slave labor.

emiller

So true. I'd spenda little extra to buy something American made.

Occasionally that stuff will come back. My old job shut down a US plant and moved it to China. The parts were total **** and wouldn't pass testing after months of trying and they burned through most of the stock they had built up to move. Had no choice but to bring it all back because they did care about quality. Sadly some companies don't care and would take savings over quality.

CannonBalt

I worked for this company: Schaeffler Technologies (INA)  | Products  | Product Overview INA and ***

They packed up the front wheel/hub assembly lines and waterpump bearing lines and moved to mexico. Cheaper down their to produce.

mongorat427

iTrader: (82)

I watched the news with Apples factory in China the other night. They make everything in one giant factory. pay is $2 an hour. So when you buy an apple I Phone remember it cost about $5 to make

emiller

Yeah that situation over the iPad name is a mess too. In a way I hope the Chinese govt screws them like they typically do with foreign companies. Then Apple will get pissed and just pull their factories out of china. I doubt it would happen but I wish someone would stand up to them.

DirtyBalt09

iTrader: (2)

Companies that do this shouldn't be allowed to sell the products here. They do it for profit margins. If you took the right to sell those items here I bet they come back. It's just greed plain and simple. Corporate owners aren't happy with 200% profit when they could make 500%. Think they lose any sleep whether or not that descision puts Americans out of work. No they are looking at the bottom line not the big picture. Its disgusting to me that there is no American pride anymore.

emiller

Then be willing to pay more for an American made product. They aren't going to lose money to save a consumer a buck.

AngelTiger82

iTrader: (8)

You guys want to know something funny, china buys their wooden disposable chopsticks from a company here in america. I think they are made in georgia or something.

mongorat427

iTrader: (82)

Greed is why there are no wheel bearings made in the USA for sure.

DirtyBalt09

iTrader: (2)

Sadface if that's all you got from my post.

Emiller I buy American as much as possible. Even if it's slightly more people should try and support American products. Money spent on American products supports workers who can reinvest it back into our economy. Companies who move production over seas must not realize putting people out of work makes the economy weaker. If they passed the production cost savings onto the consumer maybe it wouldn't be as bad. As is it all goes in their pockets with no savings passed to the consumer.

Sorry your friend has to use some cheap Chinese made bearing. Same name or not I'm sure quality is lacking.

emiller

I wish more people would. At some point everybody will feel the pain of poor choices. Everybody wants a better paying job and better benefits but that raises the cost of the final product. Then they buy something cheaper because that company made it for less in China. At some point their job will move so the company can afford to compete on price. A company is no different than a person. If they are losing money at something they need to fix it or go broke.

emiller

Most companies don't have a huge profit margin either.

BLAZIN07SS

iTrader: (7)

it's funny because there are loopholes for tax breaks when companies move their jobs overseas. they should be taxed more so that it's not worth it to leave and have to pay labor, shipping and heavy import tax from overseas

emiller

x2

1AJeremyD

iTrader: (1)

For anyone that that buys Timken bearings; they were bought by a company called Koyo. Essentially what they have done is bought all the tooling. The parts are still made with the same machines but no one in the US touches the product before it hits the box. The funny thing is, they have two lines of boxes. Ones Koyos and the other is Timken. So you can get a Timken box with a Koyo tag on the bearing itself and that normally doesn't sit well with people still thinking its American only. They deal went through beginning of 2011

mongorat427

iTrader: (82)

Well I just got 2 Timken rear bearings for an SS TC The box says made in the USA but there is no Timken on the bearing itself. I did my bearings 2 years ago and the bearing actually said timken on it. The studs are a bit shorter on these bearings than on the OEM so I guess made in China

sLAsh

iTrader: (2)

None of this is new. There are a few of us here that remember when made in Japan meant cheaply made crap. It is just Chinas turn now. As time goes on there prices will go up and the manufacturing will move somewhere else. Manufacturing jobs are unlikely to come back here so we in north America have to pursue a different direction.
The only way I can see manufacturing moving back is if oil becomes so horrendously expensive that it shipping becomes are larger component of the final price than the manufacturing cost.

Cherry GT

The reason companies here move operations overseas is because of US AMERICAN'S !
Most people buy cheap **** (made overseas) and American companies have to do something to be competitive with the cheap **** or go broke and close their doors. American's have become consumers and not manufactures any more.