Weird how people keep knocking china made products as if the majority of things people use on a day to day basis arent made and assembled in some dingy factory in Asia.
Historically Chinese 608 bearings have been the lowest quality and the cheapest to buy from a supplier. RockNRon pulled back the curtain on that years ago. Most Chinese bearings back then cost less than 15 cents per unit to make. The cost would be more expensive today due to inflation and increased shipping costs but still cheaper than having bearings made anywhere else.
The primary reason people have stuff made in China is because of margins. In the retail world, the "brand", the distro, and the shop all need to make margins. People will be more motivated to carry and move your product if you increase margins. You will also make more money that way. If there is a ceiling on the price the consumer is willing to pay for a given product, given a variety of factors, the only way to maximize margins is to make the manufacturing costs cheaper.
Now, this is business school 101 so if all your competitors are doing the same thing, you need to come up with a good marketing plan and some fancy buzzwords in order to distinguish your product from the rest. In today's world, social media and "marketing that doesn't look like marketing" will play a big role. The average person is very susceptible to this stuff.
If you have stuff made in China, there is also a problem called "Quality Fade". There was even a book written about it. It doesn't matter what industry you are in, this will eventually come in to play. The factory, which the "brand" does not own, will gradually reduce the quality of the end product in a way they think the "brand" and the consumer will not notice.
In a previous career, I used to work with a bunch of manufacturers across different industries. All were based in the U.S., but some of these manufacturers would import raw materials or simple "widgets" from China to increase profits. One company found out their supplier was gradually shipping them more and more duds in each pallet of "widgets". They had to set up a dedicated QC room with employees to separate the duds from the "good ones". Duds would be thrown away or recycled for scrap. This was a supplier they had been using for years BTW.
Once an industry begins to experience downward pressure on pricing, additional costs like QC work will inevitably get cut. If your supplier sends too many duds, you could find another supplier, but it may take several months (minimum) to get a satisfactory product from the new supplier that meets your basic requirements and spec. Those other suppliers might be backed up on orders from other "brands" and might want to deal with existing customers before they deal with you. While all this is happening your "brand" is losing money and/or taking a reputation hit. Ever wonder why so many "brands" come and go?
As for "everything is made in China now so don't complain" argument - that is wrong. There are still many things made elsewhere. Some of us have also made conscious decisions to buy less things made in China for a variety of reasons. At the end up of the day, it's up to the individual to decide how to spend their money.
Topic: Nothing Special bearings (Read 1722 times)