Yet more from Friedrichshafen where we spent an interesting hour
chatting to the guys from Macpac and taking a look a their new 2004
kit. More of that in a separate report.
Production Moving...
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'Everything people expect from
Macpac
continues' - Aidan Craig
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Arguably the biggest news for the company though is that after 30
years of manufacturing in New Zealand, the Kiwi company has taken the
difficult decision to move most of its production abroad.
Macpac's Aidan Craig says that the company had hit a ceiling and
that shifting production to three specialist factories in the far
east will not only make pricing more competitive - you can expect to
see Macpac prices falling next year - but the move has enabled the
brand to embrace new technologies and develop whole new ranges and
designs using the specialist knowledge of asian manufacturers. More
of those in a separate report.
He also stressed that it's a priority for the company that
'everything people expect from Macpac continues' and that the
factories they use will be carefully chosen and inspected and that
the company will continue to take an ethical stance with regard to
manufacturing.
Job Losses
Sadly the flip side is that there are going to be 150 job losses
from Macpac's current New Zealand workforce of 250 odd people, with
only the specialist expedition XPD items still being made in New
Zealand.
Macpac's move is reminiscent of British companies like Karrimor
and Berghaus who, after a long history of manufacturing in the UK,
eventually bowed to commercial reality and shifted production abroad
after concluding it was the only way to keep prices competitive.
Oi, Hodge
