The company I used to work for manufactured high quality 13amp domestic switches, sockets + associated acessories. As a comparitively small company at one time they sourced the electrical assemblies from larger UK based competitors. We would simply manufacture the metal facepates and market them under our brand to higher-end customers as a british made product. The Chinese manufacturer would able to make unique changes to the spec' of the product at our request literally within weeks.
Today, perhaps only two or three (at best) UK based companies actually manufacture these electrical components. Chinese manufacturers taken taken that part of the marketplace over during the last 20 years or so.
In real terms that perhaps 80% or more of the product we sold was of Chinese content - nothing wrong with the product - at least as good as most, probably better than most. A couple of percent of the product content therefore would be packaging - the remaining UK manufactured content was just the metal faceplate.
It is ironic that the companies under UK law are allowed to advertise these types of prducts as being of British origin and manufacture.
One would presume that a similar scenario exists in the 'States, although the 'septics are far more protectionist over these types of product that we are.
Perhaps (as has been said) the Vette related products will simply be marketed directly from China and the American 'brand' company will take a small 'cut' from the manufacturer in China before, eventually the US based company is bought out by the Chinese.
That is what happened to my employer. A Chinese entrepreneur 'bought-out' my employer. Most of the 'visible' staff remained in place (except for main shareholders).
My point is - that to the outside world and existing customers nothing seemingly had changed and the company remained as it was........perhaps that is what will happen to the Vette parts market in the USA (if it hasn't already).
People constantly underestimate the manufacturing abilities of the Chinese - they don't have to make crap quality products. It costs them very little extra to produce super high quality versions of the same item. Its the American, British and European wholesale buyers of the products who want to buy as cheap as possible, stack 'em high and sell-on with huge margins. These people are not concerned about quality, just profits!
