Mac closing Sabina Plant

[t100]

true to a point BUT corporations and the suits that run them will sacrifice the long term good of the country for this quarter's bonus.

exactly. if you are in the position of one of the suits, your goal is to become a bigger suit at a bigger corporation in the shortest possible time.

 

[09-JK]

exactly. if you are in the position of one of the suits, your goal is to become a bigger suit at a bigger corporation in the shortest possible time.

and how do you do that? You show that you contribute to increasing the stock price, which makes investors happy, which comes back to you and I (assuming yo own stock)

 

[t100]

I don't own stock, but my wife's retirement plan is tied to her company's stock. the difference between her and the CEO, she is in for long terms. her 401k benifit doesn't mean a thing till she retires(assume she still works there or the company is still in business), but the CEO can sell the stock options for cash. how long did the last GM CEO last on the job?

 

[stock z/28]

I totally agree that consumers generally dictate most company decisions.

The only "wrinkle" I see in this with MAC is credit.

Im kind of afraid that a lot of techs will pay premium prices for imported tools because its very easy to buy them on a weekly plan.

I wonder what would happen if you took the same tool plainly labeled as country of origin and attempted to sell them on a cash only basis from a
truck or a store?

I think Milwaukee power tools may be in the same situation. Since a lot of their tools ate now made in China, I see a lot of contractors and industrial users, choosing a different brand. If the sales dip enough perhaps Milwaukee will reevaluate their decision?

 

[caper]

Some of your strategies just do not make sense. Mac closes a plant and consolidates product to another US plant so they can remain competitive and the response is Boycott them so that more US jobs are lost.

I'm not boycotting them over closing the plant.I've been boycotting Stanley for about 15 yrs after they screwed me over years ago on a warranty issue.Screw me once,you won't screw me twice.

 

[Toolhorder]

Talked to my dealer this morning about this. He says they moved production to Texas not overseas. That being said he handed me a promo flyer and I noticed the flex head ratcheting wrench set 8-19mm that comes with a free Mac tools racing jacket. Only $313.....
I look at the package of wrenches and I see "Made in Taiwan" on the bottom in small print.
No thanks Mac...Keep your overpriced imported tools. I can get the same country of origin wrench set in Gearwrench at Sears for $129.99

 

[TheGrooveking]

I don't own stock, but my wife's retirement plan is tied to her company's stock. the difference between her and the CEO, she is in for long terms. her 401k benifit doesn't mean a thing till she retires(assume she still works there or the company is still in business), but the CEO can sell the stock options for cash. how long did the last GM CEO last on the job?

Remember Enron and WorldCom, be careful with retirement plan having too much of one company's stock. I worked for a company 7 years ago and had to wait 12 months before I could buy any stock through the company's stock option program. Six months into it the CEO visited and after meeting that clown I decided I would not buy any stock. Sure enough 6 years later the company which was publically traded filed bankruptcy. Many of my co-workers who had been there for 30 years plus all watched their retirements go down the drain.

Now I am not saying that all stocks are going to someday be worthless, I'm just recommending that your wife/you diversify your investments.

TheGrooveking

 

[hickmlg09]

Isn't Mac hard to get them to warrenty too?

 

[Mickey O]

Isn't Mac hard to get them to warrenty too?

No, MAC/Stanley are great when it come to warranty, the problem is the replacement may not be made in USA. I had a MAC branded New Britain ratchet and they sent me a USA made Blackhawk (New Britain) replacement which I wasn't too happy about, I don't think Blackhawk branded has the same value as MAC branded even though they're the same ratchet.

 

[Adam McLaughlin]

I think that J.A.F.E. hit it on the head very well on page 1.

Adam

 

[Adam McLaughlin]

Now I go into the store, I've got plenty people asking if they can help me but don't know what an allen head cap screw is. Recently I was looking for a manual hand nibbler, I went to Home Depot, Menards and Lowes, not a one knew what it was even after I drew a picture of one for them.

Maybe cause that bolt is actually a socket head cap screw.

I used to work at a local mom and pop hardware shop, and I did the purchasing and sales data in their computers. Our local hardware shop where I worked sold steel, aluminum, stainless and more nuts and bolts than a Fastenal and Grainger combined!

Adam

 

[Toolhorder]

Isn't Mac hard to get them to warrenty too?

No in my experience.. I fact I bought a 3/8 ratchet on feebay for $30 bucks and a breaker bar (older style) missing the head from the flea market and my dealer rebuilt the ratchet and replaced the head of the break bar no problem. I even told him where I got both items and he doesn't care. YMMV.

 

[Micahdogg]

I agree with a lot of what HiBall is saying. I realize we live in a global economy and it's impossible to not buy something from China, but I buy my items in this order:

(1) American made goods by American made companies
(2) Foreign made goods by American owned companies
(3) American made goods by Foriegn owned companies
(4) Foreign goods by a Foreign company.

If a company can open/close a plant at their discretion, it comforts me little to know that say, Toyota builds trucks in the USA. Had they succeeded in buying GM a couple years ago, they could have easily sent both makes over to China and left us with nothing.

Micah

 

[Bolster]

true to a point BUT corporations and the suits that run them will sacrifice the long term good of the country for this quarter's bonus.

Some will, some won't, but...a business' goal is, appropriately, the health of its business. It's government's responsibility to look out for the long term good of the country. So let's not attribute to the private sector, the responsibilities of the public sector.

Government--now that's where you have seriously defective nearsightedness and reckless irresponsibility. Everything geared toward short-term results, the next election cycle, and building personal legacy. Pass laws now, that won't come into effect until 2013, so they can be long gone when the 's' hits the 'f'.

if you are in the position of one of the suits, your goal is to become a bigger suit at a bigger corporation in the shortest possible time.

And this is different...how?...from elected officials???

 

[poprockcrusher]

I have to agree with Hillball. Snap On, Danaher(Matco), Stanley(MAC), these are all multi-billion dollar companies. each of them spends millions of dollars each year on market research, when they stopped putting "made in U.S.A." on their tools because these reports say MAJORITY of customers don't care about it, you bet they are right.

most of the members on this forum care, myself included. but how many of us are out there?

I sold my cellphone this past week on CL, I agreed to drop it off at the buyer's work on friday right before his shop closed. I went there, it's a medium sized repair shop, 6 techs were working at that time. we had a little chat about half an hour, asked him couple things about my car, seems to be a very smart guy. also, we talked about tools, which NONE of those guys know that some of the Snap On tools are made in China now, neither do they care. I asked why? he said, I'm too busy to do my work, as long as the tools work as they are supposed to, and the toolman can get it fixed/replaced when it breaks, I'm fine. I'm too tired to just look at my tools after work. I've be working here 20 years, I buy tools off the truck even Sear's is just cross the street, I don't have time or want to walk over there.

isn't that most of the mechanics life like?

p.s. None of the guys over there knew what the heck "Wright Tool" is. sad.

No time to mess around at Sears , have to put in over 60 hours to make money at my shop .. barely time for anything