Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Made in China

The DSP 8000 and 7000 are are made in the UK. see link http://www.compfab.co.uk/

Hi Gavin, Thanks very interesting
Regards

I think if the made in china strategy is to put out product at lower price points then that will affect the second hand market. However, it the strategy is to basically increase profit margins then I do not think the second hand market will be affected much from the current trends.

To me, what would affect my perception of Meridian products is if Messieurs Stuart and Boothroyd would no longer be involved. That would be bad.

best regards,
Jerry

I am quite interested in the psychology of brand perception.

The Crystalio video scaler is a very high quality piece of kit, is made in Hong Kong and is marketed by its HK based manufacturer. Its market perception is "top of the tree".

Meridian equipment is very high quality, is made in the UK and is marketed by its UK based manufacturer. Market perception is "top of the tree".

If the UK based company got its products made in the Far East, why would perceptions change? Is there something about the actual product manufacturer selling its own kit that adds the value?

Malcolm,
This is a very good point. The distinguishing factor for a company like Meridian (or Ferrari) is that whether its intentional or unintentional the image of the product has become to some degree wrapped up in a bit of stereotype about the nationality of the founders. For example-

Meridian: UK, High End Audio. The British know high end audio. They make great speakers. They know craftsmanship. Lets face it though- open up an 861 and it could be as well made and as well sounding if it were made anywhere (no offense to the fine staff at M). From a hardware standpoint- its a computer. The speakers are a little different, but I think its mostly correct. I will say though that when I had to take apart an 8000 to replace a broken circuit (well my dealer did the taking apart) but it was nice to see that the speaker was hand made/ assembled and I knew it was done in the UK. But I would have bought the speakers either way- they sound fantastic

Does anyone complain about the craftsmanship of a Lexus?

Ferrari is similar, but when I look inside Ferraris and I see some excess glue holding various parts together is it sloppy or is it character- of course its character! But on a Hyundai that would be sloppy and unacceptable. When Hyundai tries to make a super sports car (someday) if everything is executed perfectly, it will be criticized as a lack of character. I do agree that Ferrari could not open a factory in China or anywhere else in the world, but they can easily get away with sourcing products from all over the world for final assembly in Italy. An example is the wheels usually come from BBS (Germany).

I think the only companies that could never do the final manufacture anywhere else are the Swiss watch companies.

It is interesting- these are just some random thoughts.

best regards,
Jerry

My Mercedes was built in South Africa and boy was it build well. It's still a German design though...

When B&O opened additional production facilities in the Czech Republic many people were outraged - but the dust has since settled down and people are not as concerned about any potential reductions in product quality.

Mercedes is now somewhat of a mass market brand and B&O is somewhere in between but I agree with your points.

You can get a BMW that is made (assembled) in the USA or Germany or some are even made in China (currently only for China but in a few years they will be exported). Some BMWs are made in Austria at Magna. Some MBs are also. Did you know the Porsche Boxter is made in Sweden along with Volvos?!

Btw- Ive visited the BMW factory in South Carolina and boy is it clean and everyone was happy. A very impressive operation. And BMWs owners are Swiss so what kind of company is it? Most say German- but is it- and what is an American company anymore. I think in many ways we just associate HQ location as the nationality of a company and sometimes the companies take on those traits. Is an Aston Martin not British because the engines are made at a plant in Cologne?

best regards,
Jerry

Vaguely relevant to this thread, but amusing nonetheless. There was an article in The Times newspapers a couple of days ago stating that Tata (massive Indian conglomerate) is going to outsource 5000 of its consulting staff to Mexico because Indian salaries are now too high... :rolleyes:

VirusKiller,

That is not really news, prolific outsourcing advocate Arunava Sinha has been saying while "it is good for America when their jobs comes to India", he was also warning about those jobs in India going to lower cost countries in his 2003 article "Chang must not get Chintu's job"

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Infotech/ITeS/Chang_must_not_get_Chintus_job/articleshow/msid-373081,curpg-1.cms

Yes, educated Indian salaries are now substantial. There has been some controversy as Indian call-centres subcontract to the Philippines. More interestingly, for the purposes of this thread, Chinese wages on the eastern seaboard are now also very substantial - manufacturing is not going to be much cheaper in Shanghai than many other parts of Asia.

The question you should really be asking is: where will manufacturing for the west take place in ten to twenty years? East Africa is more plausible than China.

the interdependence is very interesting!

best regards,
Jerry