Just seen this on the Macpac site: "Macpac is “from New Zealand” like no other outdoor equipment company on earth. This shapes our attitudes, our approach and our innovative product design." According to my Kiwi mates, Macpac have moved all their clothing manufacturing to China - in particular their merino. My mates said there was real anger there over it. Now Macpac seem to be trying to cover it up? I'm not going to buy my gear from any country with such a lousy human rights record, and I don't like companies that hide where there gear is made. I came across some Rohan thermals that had in very small letters that you could hardly see "made in China".
No different to most of the outdoor manufacturers. If they wish to compete in a global market, I'm afraid they have to get gear made in the cheapest location. And that's not going to be the UK, or NZ, it'll be China, India, Vietnam, Russia, Portugal, Indonesia, Morocco, Thailand, etc.
Try looking for Rab or North Cape, possibly still made in the UK (though I wouldn't like to vouch for it), or Arc'teryx (probably still made in Canada). Or some Patagonia (as they have manuf sites all over the place, and they identify the origin on the labels). Or Paramo, who, whilst manufacturing in Colombia, and least have a thoroughly ethical setup. Or the specialist made-to-measure outfits in the UK or elsewhere (e.g. Slioch Direct, Extreme Outdoor).
Most of the stuff I own has a country of origin stated on the tag (and they're logged in my kit database). If it doesn't have one, I assume it's China.
It's all part of the Free Market Economy that we're supposed to like and sign up to. Gives all those 'developing' countries like China (???) a chance to compete agianst the industrial giants like the UK (???).
The only snag is that because people buy cheap we lose our indigenous industries and when they have all closed the 'cheap' goods suddenly increase in price because they have no competition!!
Sorry to advertise here - but all our gear is made in New Zealand by established New Zealand manufacturers, and our merino base layers easily compete pricewise. There's a new range coming in next month of base/midlayer Tees, Skivvies and leggings all in pure merino, and with colour choice, and these will also be competively priced and still made in New Zealand. It simply isn't true that companies need to relocate manufacturing to compete. Our manufacturers haven't, which is just as well as apart from trying to be as eco-friendly as possible, we also like to think our gear is also ethically produced. Try us: www.chocolatefish.co.uk
> It simply isn't true that companies need to relocate manufacturing to compete
Well, it must be to allow them to make shed loads more money, then. Oh, wait a minute, let's take a look at the recent history of the outdoor manufacturers:
Lowe Alpine: got into trouble, bought out by Asolo. TNF: over-stretched themselves in the 'fashion market', went through a tricky patch, now recovering. Karrimor: went bust, bought out, now attempting to re-launch. Perseverence Mills, maker of Pertex: sold to Far Eastern concern.
Yes, outdoor manufacturers are raking it in by the barrow-load...
Given the state of the NZ$, you may be finding that manufacturing in NZ is still economically viable.
Let's take a look at the cost of labour in Chinese clothing plants: about US$1 a day.
We're reaping what we have sown. Britain led the way with the industrial revolution, and (for instance) took over the cotton-weaving market from India, much to the detriment of Indian weavers. Now the far east has the machine looms and cheap labour, and all the mills have closed (long ago, of course).
Still let's look on the bright side. We'll eventually be a third-world country, and then we can use our cheap labour to bring the industry back...
Costs are of course the reason companies locate manufacturing overseas. Twenty years ago virtually every outdoor company had their own factory in the UK. Few do so now. From being gear makers companies have become gear designers and marketers, hence the rapid turn over in designs. When companies owned factories they wanted those factories to be busy year round and they wanted designs to be popular as long as possible. Now designers want to put out new designs at least very year and the marketing people want new products to market.
However the recent problems of the companies you mention, Captain Paranoia, are nothing to do with UK manufacturing costs. Lowe Alpine, TNF and Karrimor all moved manufacturing overseas a decade or more ago and all have had several owners in the meantime. Perserverance Mills main business was making typewriter ribbons - I suspect the market for those has declined recently! Pertex has been bought by a Japanese company who will be making it in Japan (they have shipped machinery there). I don't think Japanese wages are low.
Ah yes Chocolate fish, but as you must know even the economic development people (funded by government )have told companies (e.g. Swazi) that to be able to compete and grow overseas they need to site production off shore. I am a big Macpac user (as you all prob have guessed) and was frankly "really P%$$*d" when this happened. One of the reasons given for this happening at the time was the large downturn in overseas travel after 9/11. New Zealand only has a population of approx 4 million people so there is only a limited sales base here. From what had been said in various articles in the media the company had been loosing money for a couple of years before they jumped. Sink or swim. We try not to buy made in China if at all possible, but after seeing a news report that was done on China production we changed our mind about Macpac stuff. A film crew showed up unannounced to a couple of factories in China and filmed what it was like inside. One of those they went to happened to make sleeping bags and other outdoors stuff on one of there production lines and low and behold one brand they made was Macpac. Is was clean, well lit, they got breaks, could go to the loo when needed etc etc and got paided a lot more than "sweatshop" rates. Many are able to buy their own home in 3-4 years from something I read.
In the case of Pertex, it was the failure of the parent company (a packaging manufacturer) that led to the sale. Pertex itself was still a profitable business. I would have thought that the market for typerwriter ribbons disappeared about ten years ago, with the introduction of laser and ink jet printers. So, if it's possible to make the stuff in Japan, why not in the UK? Because it's 'dirty manufacturing', perhaps? Or because Japan is closer to the locations where the fabric will be used? (In the factories making clothing for all the companies who shipped out twenty years ago). Sprayway and ME were certainly still manufacturing in the UK ten years ago.
Okay, so, even with manufacturing moved to overseas (from wherever), they were still in financial difficulty. In other words, they _still_ weren't making huge wodges of cash. If you add the increased cost of, shall we say, indigenous labour to that picture, you get a position that simply isn't viable, hence the movement of manufacturing.
In the case of Pertex no UK company was prepared to take it over even though Pertex was profitable. I don't know the reasons for this though it's probably to do with the decline in UK manufacturing generally. The Japanese company who have taken them over (Mitsui) are big - Pertex will only be a small part of their business.
Most outdoor companies certainly haven't been making fortunes in recent years, though some have done far better than others (e.g. Regatta). Because most manufacturing moved overseas so long ago UK manufacturing isn't the cause of the problems some companies have though. Some small companies (e.g. Buffalo) still make all their stuff in the UK while others still make some of their gear here. But yes, as soon as some companies cut costs by moving production overseas and closing their factories others felt they had to follow in order to remain competitive.
I'm sure there are many reasons why MacPAC, and I gather Icebreaker too, have relocated to China. No doubt some Chinese factories are ok to work in, but the two things I object to are the Human Rights record of China and the fact that Macpac state as the first line on their website that Macpac is “from New Zealand” like no other outdoor equipment company on earth." What do they mean "from New Zealand"? Their stuff is coming from China! They are not being truthfull it would seem, are they? Even if you take their statement at face value then Icebreaker are "thought of in New Zealand but made in China" - just like Macpac! As an aside, I was just looking through my Howies, cataogue and notice that despite being very holier than thou in the eco-friendly - small company stakes, they don't say where their stuff is made at all. I wonder why?
The Howies merino wool top I have has a "made in New Zealand" label in it!
Where stuff is made doesn't necessarily mean that a company is unethical or environmentally unfriendly. Paramo and Patagonia (and maybe Howies) are examples of companies who try to be ethical and environmentally friendly.
Karrimor first started using a Union Jack symbol after they stopped being a UK family firm and became Italian owned! (They are now UK owned again, having been South African after Italian).
'Gives all those 'developing' countries like China (???)'
FWIW china _is_ still developing. there are a few very rich, a few middle income, and very many very poor people. 80% of the population are farmers don't forget. shanghai and beijing do look rich (i've been there) and there are rich areas, but what you don't see are the poor dwellings many people have to live in. its very difficult to see the shanty towns in between the modernt tower blocks on your tv. you also have to bear in mind that there is a population of around 1.3 billion, the largest city has 17 million (just over 0.1% of the population)
There was a time when the uk was the workshop of the world and the factory owners lived opulent lifestyles,the workers lived in squalid housing and received low wages,they suffered high mortality rates due to occupational injurys, sure it was stamped made in Britain but the people at the sharp end were just factory fodder,that didn't stop the rest of the world buying our stuff..
just comes down to economics. people want a cheap product, cheap products need to be made in cheap ways, with cheap labour.
uk had manufacturing, thats gone to the far east, uk had lots of high tech manufaturing, thats going east, uk has research, that'll go east.
IMO if the product is of a good quality, and the people who make it have good conditions, i'll buy it. thats why i don't buy GAP, as they used to use sweatshop/child labour.
I would imagine that due to high labour costs it's probably in general prohibitative to manufacture much in the way of commodity goods in the UK for any items that are labour intensive. Also, having a small number of big factories brings about certain economies of scale.
With transport being relatively cheap moving the goods to the market is affordable. As with everything though, this may change - what happens when oil shortage starts to pinch for instance?
Also, over time far eastern workers will gradually want to improve thier standards of living and costs will rise and that will start to impact.
As they say, the only thing that's constant is change...
to all you kiwis who are looking for quality locally owned and produced products I highly recommend 'wear on earth' and 'cactus' both factories are in christchurch so i'm not sure how they have withstood the earthquake, but you can count on them for excellent customer service and ethically produced, quality outdoor gear. i am an outdoor instructor requiring hard wearing, long lasting, quality products that support local business and both these companies provide just that.
Just seen this post - looked at Cactus [http://www.cactusclimbing.co.nz] as they sell on-line, but $199 for a pair of lightweight canvas pants is a bit too steep for me. That's ÂŁ100! Add shipping and UK duty & vat and you're looking at nearer ÂŁ150. So afraid for some of us here in UK - a bit too expensive. Don't know how the prices work out for folks in NZ as it's a while since I was over.
Wear on Earth [http://www.wearonearth.co.nz/] do down gear and only seem to sell from their shop in Christchurch. For UK folk interested in down jackets and sleeping bags etc. PHDesigns [http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/] are really good, and made in the UK.
Apologies to Cactus - they do free shipping on orders over $60. Still a big chunk on vat & duty tho. But their stuff certainly looks good.
Hoping to be over in NZ early next year & could organise buying there as like the sound of both the pants and their Miklat canvas pack - looks good for someone like me who only ever carries cabin luggage - even for a 6 week trip to NZ & Aus.
