Milwaukee, China

[DonB]

I know a lot of youse guys like Milwaukee tools. Just a lil heads up... soon they'll be made in China. According to some surprising financial information I received, the Milwaukee brand was recently acquired by Techtronic Industries of Hong Kong. Their manufacturing is done in China. Please don't quit buying them though. I own a lot of the stock :)

They also make Rigid, Ryobi and operates as OEM for many others including Craftsman.

Don

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[Tool Guy - Kg]

Milwaukee hasn't been owned by Milwaukee for quite some time now. Each new owner has their twist on what to do and how to make the business more profitable. Not the prettiest, IMO.

[cx]

Hell, that's where everything else is made now, so why are we surprised? :rolleyes:

I've used Milwaukee drills for decades. Nothing else, though. No, wait, I do have one of their angle grinders, but I don't like it much. The drills have always been top of the line, but I haven't bought one for a long time for comparison.

Pretty sad. But pretty soon ain't gonna be but about two companies sellin' 'lectric tools in this country, and none of'em will have been made here. :(

Somebody make us up a list of all the useful tools that are still made inna US of A. Won't take up much space, I'm bettin'. :shake:

[silverfox]

Yeah....I've used always Milwaukee drills too. And the Sawsall and the circulars. But things have certainly changed at Milwaukee. I got a Milwaukee 0624-24, 18V, drill/driver/hammer drill kit 2 years ago and it has been in the shop twice already. Unusual for a Milwaukee tool. Fortunately, they have a good 5 year warranty but I hate the down time and traveling to the service center. Another surprise was that I wrote TWO emails to Milwaukee asking advice about this tool and the service center and got NO answer to either email. And while Techtronics IS a good company and does build some good stuff....they are tied closely with.....you guessed it....Home Depot. HD is the only place you can buy Ryobi or Ridgid. I have also noticed lately that HD is having more and more sales on Milwaukee power tools. I sure hope that this isn't a sign of Techtronics moving the Milwaukee tools to an exclusive with HD like the other two tool lines. And, as has been mentioned here, just about every company that makes ANYTHING is being forced to open a branch in China to compete in price with other brands. I don't want to open a political discussion here but.....me?....I don't like the handwriting on the wall.
Mike

[Mike2]

Yeah, nears as I can figure out it won't be long until a person needing a job will have to move to either China or Mexico. Wonder how many people will be left on this side of the pond to buy all that crap. :shrug:

But maybe the bright side is, with all the cheap US labor left behind we'll eventually get all those plants back again. :rolleyes:

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Edit P.S. Think I'll move this thread over to the Mud box. Should be good material over there, especially if it's slow day.

[Rob Z]

My avatar and I are crying. :bang: :cry:

[MHI]

They don't make 'em like they use to.

I guess its time to start shopping for tools at garage sales.:)

[silverfox]

uhhh....I don't get it....where was this thread moved to????
Mike

[Mike2]

It was a very subliminal move there fox. . It's all done with smoke and mirrors. Originally posted on the General Advice Board, I moved here into the Mud Box. However I left a virtual marker over there so it can be accessed from both places.

Smoke and mirrors seems to be an American thing these days. Make all the parts overseas or south of the border, assemble some of it here and call it:

Made in the USA.

[flatfloor]

For a long time now I have felt the only thing we manufacture here is paper. Paper with numbers, opinions, sales totals, projections etc. This paper is manufactured by U.S. companies and sold to other U.S. companies who in turn translate it and sell it to other U.S. companies creating the illusion that we are actually dong something worthwhile. :uhh:

[jgleason]

Jim - I work for a paper mill - Monadnock Paper Mills. We are the oldest continously operating paper mill in the country. (since 1819).

We make real paper and are privately owned. Not like the paper you're talking about! ;)

Sadly, the paper industry is also facing fierce competition. Some of the largest papermaking operations in the world operate in China.

[flatfloor]

Is nothing sacred? I'll bet Staples and Office Depot are their biggest customers. Wonder who they will sell to after all our industry is gone. :shake:

[John Bridge]

C'mon, Flatfleur, if you weren't so wrapped up in your Cayman Island scams-I-mean-ventures, you'd be manufacturing something in China yourself. ;)

[flatfloor]

Moi? :)

[DonB]

Is nothing sacred? I'll bet Staples and Office Depot are their biggest customers. Wonder who they will sell to after all our industry is gone. :shake:

My wife's company hauls about 25 loads of locally produced copy paper each week to these particular office chains. If she would allow it, IP would tie up 100 trucks on that job.

Don

[flatfloor]

:clap1: Glad to hear it.