Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imports

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Nick Carroll
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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by Nick Carroll » Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:12 pm

Little wrote:All Chinese imports should have a Human Rights tax applied to them of 450% which goes directly to the United Nations
^^^ah yeah that is going to happen.

Scene: China.

(UN official walks up to Chinese official)
UN official: So we have decided your country must pay us 450% of your entire export economy so that everyone in the West can feel better about themselves.
Chinese official: Fcuk off.
UN official: Oh OK, sorry. Won't mention it again.

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by bilko » Fri Jan 27, 2012 7:03 pm

The organisation I work for is self-insured for workers comp, based on its safety management system.
If we don't comply with our SMS we can lose our self-insurance.
This would have huge financial impact, way more than what it costs us to have a good safety management system.

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by damo666 » Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:50 pm

What the f&^k has any of the last 5 pages got to do with Chinese boards, other than you blokes trying to prove who's is bigger? Jesus....

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by kayu » Fri Jan 27, 2012 10:16 pm

damo666 wrote:What the f&^k has any of the last 5 pages got to do with Chinese boards,
....was thinkin the same thing.. :|

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by Trev » Sat Jan 28, 2012 7:56 am

^^^^^^^
Guys. It's just like being in a pub or standing around a BBQ.
Conversations develop and grow. They're organic.
Next time you're in a pub and someone takes "your" topic off course, try telling him to stop. 8) :wink:
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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by ric_vidal » Sat Jan 28, 2012 12:12 pm

From the Surfboard Shack website talking about Costco boards being direct from China:



“I am a “local shaper” in California. I’m in my mid-30′s, have a wife and kids and bills like everyone else. The truth is GSI (the biggest surfboard company in the worl (Blue NSP, 7S, Weber, Modern, Walden etc) changed the business landscape forever. (GSI make about 120,00 boards a year in Thailand, Surftech makes about 30,000 in the same factory) Surf shops WANT to do business with companies that produce a consistent product, deliver on time, and offer good terms with better margins.

In the old days guys like Velzy and Noll ran their companies like real businesses, they had large factories, tons of workers and accountants in the back room. Clark drove the hippie-guru, backyard movement and made surfboard building very unprofitable (but made Grubby millions).

I have been to China almost a dozen time, staying from one week to two months. I have visited and even worked for several Chinese factories. Some suck and some are better than anything in California. The truth is ALL the major labels have Asian production. The most high quality, high performance, name brand boards on the surf shop rack were most likely made in China, Thailand or Viet Nam. The factories are well run and the craftsmen are top-notch. Meanwhile there are very few American high school grads looking for a dust, itchy, low-paying career in surfboards and most of our factories are poorly run and face ridiculous red-tape from local hippie governments.

People who go on and on about how “awful and oppressive” China is have probably never been there. It is pretty much just a regular place (but with TONS more people!). It is industrial, and there are elements of industry that Americans find distasteful (no wonder they gain industry while the USA gives it away!). I have been to a Mosque, Christian churches and Buddhist temples in China. I have read newspapers critical of the Chinese government. Their culture is not one that equates going to college with getting stoned and protesting the trendy cause of the week. China is 5,000 years old, it is not the USA, okay? Besides, saying you won’t buy a board from China because you don’t like the governments policies would be like an Aussie saying he won’t but a Channel Islands because he disagrees with the US role in Iraq.

The truth is that most of the production happening at the better factories in China is for large to medium size, well established American and Aussie brands that are simply trying to survive in the post GSI market. The quality is generally as good or better than the average board made in the US. As for “soul”… seriously, it’s a piece of plastic, bro. Trust me, I’ve hand made thousands of boards, they are just plastic. Worry less about where your board came from and more about where you will take it!”

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by kayu » Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:42 pm

Thats worm tongue poison. Its a rationalisation of the "pure greed" of the few, to undermine the interests of the many. I dont buy it. According to those figures , 120,000 between GSI and Surftech ? ....well thats a long way from the whole market , so its marketing sychobable aimed at further increasing their market share........and he sais "shops" WANT to do business with companies that deliver on time etc etc etc .....well shops DO NOT MAKE SURFBOARDS !!!...they just sell them. Basic shop mark-up has been 30% for as long as I can remember....thats on consignment ( ie. boardmaker bares all manufacturing costs , then puts it on the shop floor, then waits for someone to buy it before he gets payed ).....this has always been one of the main problems dealing with the retail sector..........most of China's industry is heavily subsidised by the government, and the yuan is kept artificially low the keep these imports cheap. Its an economic strategy ......its not efficient manufacturing at all. The main dissappointment for me , is to see the people within our own ranks assisting this strategy, simply because of greed. THIS IS A WAR!!!!!! and there are traitors amoung us........

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by Beanpole » Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:06 pm

I've just had a revolutionary idea. :idea:
Lets form a peoples army and take control of the government-Ric Mayall.

Seriously are we going to start up a surfing co-operative and barter goods for surfboards?
How ironic that we are talking about a communist country undercutting our capitalist free market economy to
manufacture surf equipment for our pampered recreation time.
Put your big boy pants on
I mean, tastebuds? WGAF?

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by daryl » Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:15 pm

kayu wrote:Thats worm tongue poison. Its a rationalisation of the "pure greed" of the few, to undermine the interests of the many. I dont buy it. According to those figures , 120,000 between GSI and Surftech ? ....well thats a long way from the whole market , so its marketing sychobable aimed at further increasing their market share........and he sais "shops" WANT to do business with companies that deliver on time etc etc etc .....well shops DO NOT MAKE SURFBOARDS !!!...they just sell them. Basic shop mark-up has been 30% for as long as I can remember....thats on consignment ( ie. boardmaker bares all manufacturing costs , then puts it on the shop floor, then waits for someone to buy it before he gets payed ).....this has always been one of the main problems dealing with the retail sector..........most of China's industry is heavily subsidised by the government, and the yuan is kept artificially low the keep these imports cheap. Its an economic strategy ......its not efficient manufacturing at all. The main dissappointment for me , is to see the people within our own ranks assisting this strategy, simply because of greed. THIS IS A WAR!!!!!! and there are traitors amoung us........
it does smell, doesn't China run on a capitalist manufacturing system? I know a flatmate I had from there, his Dad owned their factories and was a big fat cnut.

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kayu
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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by kayu » Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:54 pm

China has embraced capitalism for years. Their main advantage is the control they have over their people. They say - people do. Our system is suffering from the do-gooder minority groups that have too much influence on decision making........the downside of capitalism is accomodation of greedy people.Their holy grail is global market dominance or as much as they can get. Decadence is an instiable desease , not a mark of acievement........we deserve what we work for , and I'd be more than happy with that....China's current problem, is they have become dependant on exports to the countries theyve been screwing, they are the biggest losers with any global economic downturn.......IMO its time to roll up the sleeves and start competing.........a defeatist attidude is not acceptable........Small business is by far the biggest employer in Australia.......why dont governments listen to us ?...because they are all financed by big business !!!

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by Animal_Chin » Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:00 am

buzzy wrote:I did a thesis which showed no link between stricter OHS laws and workplace accidents.

It also showed an employer was more likely to be found guilty of an OHS offence than found negligent in an action for damages.

I'm not justifying any position. I reckon I'm stating the obvious.
How about uploading that thesis?

Not that I'm calling bullsht on you....
Image

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by Indo dreaming » Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:28 am

Reality is we will never ever be able to compete with asia because as westerners we always want to much, everyone thinks there job is important and always wants more $, teachers, nurses, police, goverment/council workers and others like traddies just put there prices up as they feel that and the fact everything in the west is overregulated

Also the world is becoming more global, if you can get something cheaper OS now then most people will look at buying from OS, just look at the wetsuit thread.

Personally I think we are srewed and the only way things will improve is if Asian average wages rise and Western wages stagnate to even out the difference which will never happen.

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by Indo dreaming » Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:33 am

BTW. if you compare the rise in price of most things in Australia in the last 15 years, such as a beer at the pub which has more the doubled, housing, food etc to surfboards, surfboards are actually cheap.

For example a board 15 years ago was around the $500-$600 mark, what are they now? $700-$800 so in 15 years they have gone up about $100, thats crazy

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by Beanpole » Sun Jan 29, 2012 5:27 pm

Indo dreaming wrote:Reality is we will never ever be able to compete with asia because as westerners we always want to much, everyone thinks there job is important and always wants more $, teachers, nurses, police, goverment/council workers and others like traddies just put there prices up as they feel that and the fact everything in the west is overregulated
Have you heard of inflation?
I'd say some of those might want to maintain there wages let alone wanting more. Of course good old Baz put the screws on that. Cops were exempt and then screwed big time with compo. Classic Lib.
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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by kayu » Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:53 pm

Indo dreaming wrote:Reality is we will never ever be able to compete with asia because as westerners we always want to much, everyone thinks there job is important and always wants more $, teachers, nurses, police, goverment/council workers and others like traddies just put there prices up as they feel that and the fact everything in the west is overregulated

Also the world is becoming more global, if you can get something cheaper OS now then most people will look at buying from OS, just look at the wetsuit thread.

Personally I think we are srewed and the only way things will improve is if Asian average wages rise and Western wages stagnate to even out the difference which will never happen.
Current plan by Chinese government is to increase their own domestic consumer market market , to reduce the dependance on US and European consumer markets. The only way to do this is to put more spending money into peoples pockets ie..increase wages and create more jobs, so the cycle begins. Their economy is more vulnerable to economic downturn, because it is bigger.They have an inflation problem.... All these things will put their prices up for their export markets (like surfboards for instance).In Australia, we have industrial infrastructure laying idol in industries such as steel production,shipyards for shipbuilding , soon motor industry,( surfboard industry) furniture Industry.....all the industry that has been on the slide since '08 ,and the increase of cheap imports......if more people bought Australian ,when they could afford it, they would reap the rewards eventually.

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by Indo dreaming » Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:21 pm

Beanpole wrote:
Indo dreaming wrote:Reality is we will never ever be able to compete with asia because as westerners we always want to much, everyone thinks there job is important and always wants more $, teachers, nurses, police, goverment/council workers and others like traddies just put there prices up as they feel that and the fact everything in the west is overregulated
Have you heard of inflation?
I'd say some of those might want to maintain there wages let alone wanting more. Of course good old Baz put the screws on that. Cops were exempt and then screwed big time with compo. Classic Lib.
yes offcourse inflation is a big factor, but there seems to be huge differences in how the price of some things rise heaps and other things very little.

Then theres the differences in wage increases, for example at the bottom dole and pensions and low paid style work have increased very little while higher end wage earns or for example traddies prices (who I am also) have incressed heaps in the last 15 years.

Which only seems to widen the gap between the haves and have nots.

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by buzzy » Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:45 pm

Call bullshit all you want but not uploading my thesis here. You can do your own research though. It ain't hard. Justatch Workcover injury stats and overlay that with OH S law changes. Trends?

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Re: Paradise Lost for Aussie Surfboard Makers Amid China Imp

Post by mustkillmulloway » Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:49 pm

kayu wrote:.IMO its time to roll up the sleeves and start competing.........a defeatist attidude is not acceptable........Small business is by far the biggest employer in Australia.......why dont governments listen to us ?...because they are all financed by big business !!!

ohhh yeah 8) u can claim defeat on me when i'm dead...not a sec b4 :!:

history shows ....we have seen off popouts many times b4

history...ALWAYS repeats

this time round...i may have roll my sleeves abit higher, bring it on CLOWNFULL SURF INDUSTRYS


( and we can take note the traitors :twisted: )
and the groms may have put in

it's a war...and u not alone soilder....and if ppl want pay extra for boards made in china

good luck too them....i wonder how they offset the environmental cost transport? too one made end there street :?:
reginald wrote:Hang on, now all of a sudden I'm the bad guy. How the try again did that happen?

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