Bridgeport Now Speaks Chinese...?

[Bolster]

Read this on another forum:

"Hi all. I am a machine tool repairman with my own small business. I often work with the local machinery sales companies installing the accessories they sell such as DRO's and power feeds etc.. I also rebuild mill heads and am very familiar with Bridgeports. Recently, I was asked to install an Acu-Rite DRO and some Servo power feeds on a brand new Bridgport that the dealer had just received. It didn't take much looking at the mill to see the differences and it became apparent that this was another Chinese knock off only this time it said Bridgeport on it. Hardinge has decided to start having the Bridgeports made in China!..."

Can't vouch for the veracity of the post, can someone confirm?

 

[woody 73]

Interesting to read this post,strange how this week our president asked the chinese to stop keeping their dollars so artificially low,and they said take a hike.Soon everything will be made in china.

 

[TheGrooveking]

If it is true, then another American icon has gone into the *******.

TheGrooveking

 

[A_Pmech]

It is my understanding that the Bridgeport division of Hardinge nearly went out of business after a failed move to offshore their casting production and rough machining sometime in 2008.

For most of last fall and though this summer, Bridgeport was not building machines, supposedly due to a casting shortage. This was announced on their website. Meanwhile, they were fighting off a hostile takeover by a Brazilian machine tool manufacturer.

Hardinge / Bridgeport resumed selling Bridgeports sometime this summer. It is unclear to me where the new castings are coming from.

I work for company that makes and machines castings. We used to make the bases for the Bridgeport mill. This time last year we were making almost 20 of them every week. We haven't made any since January this year, and I found out today its because Hardinge has outsourced the casting and machining work to China. So much for an American machine.

 

[Bolster]

Really?!? So it's not Blidgepolt yet, then?

Sounds like you don't want to buy a 2008 Blidgepolt, under any circumstances.

 

[trbomax]

Sad,so now its another case of older being better.........

 

[OccupantRJ]

Mine just became more valuable........

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

don't be hatin