Yep, it’s true. The brand made famous by making jeans for Calfornia’s Gold Rush has left the country. For good. The last remaining American manufacturing and finishing plants have been closed, and manufacturing is now centered around contractors in fifty different countries, including Mexico, China and Bangladesh.
Their CEO says that they were among the last companies to make the move in the two-decade long shift to overseas subcontracting. I guess “Made in America” now means “you paid too much for this, sucker.” All those laid off workers shouldn’t have trouble finding work making Jelly donuts.
What exactly is the point of a brand name if the product can be made by any subcontractor? It doesn’t represent anything. Time Warner paid AOL something like a half billion dollars for its name, it turned out it wasn’t worth anything. Duh!
Apple insists on being a hardware manufacturer, but does it really make anything anymore? Some Disney movies are made by Pixar. Why is it cheaper to hire somebody else to do your own work for you? It should be the opposite. In-house work should yield more control, quality and more profit. The drive for lower costs is like the tail wagging the dog. America is competing with itself and losing.
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