What remains of Bedford plant
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For 2010, some of the CAAD 9 road bikes, and some of the Aluminum Flash hardtails, that is it. I am pretty sure that manufacturing has ended there because the 2011's are all made in Taiwan and we should see 2011's popping up in a month or so.rhorvati said:
Bedford will be used primarily for Warranty service.
Thanks for the update. I purchased my Rize at the end of last year anticipating it to be my last Cannondale knowing the end of US manufacturing was near for them. Thankfully the offerings from other domestic companies has improved at a very rapid rate. When the times comes in a few years to replace the Rize, it will be Cannondale's competition that I will be looking at.
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The domestic manufacturers that are left are technically not Cannondale's competition. They are so small scale that any business they get from guys like you will not affect their bottom line. There are Cannondale customers that value innovation and Cannondale customers that valued the Handmade in USA aspect. The latter group is relatively small compared to the former (think Americans vs the rest of the world).
As for bedford they are currently doing the following:
Finishing 2010 production for alloy frames.
Finishing assembly of 2010 bikes.
Starting assembly of 2011 bikes.
Building all Lefty's.
Performing testing and qualifying all frames and components for CSG.
Customer Service, inside sales, and tech support.
There are other things that I am sure I am missing.
As for bedford they are currently doing the following:
Finishing 2010 production for alloy frames.
Finishing assembly of 2010 bikes.
Starting assembly of 2011 bikes.
Building all Lefty's.
Performing testing and qualifying all frames and components for CSG.
Customer Service, inside sales, and tech support.
There are other things that I am sure I am missing.
I'm a customer that values innovation that is built in the USA. I don't buy products to feel like I belong to some larger demographic. If I once bought a product from company A and then bought a similar product from company B, the two companies are competitors. Doesn't matter if they realize it or not.
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I understand your logic, but to give a counter analogy...If I tried to run a 100m against Usain Bolt I would certainly be a competitor. He undoubtedly would kick my ass so bad that I would be no competition for him. Do you see what I mean by saying they are NOT Cannondale competition? Sure they make bikes (and probably good ones), but they are not in the same category of volume, technology, and innovation.
rhorvati: I think along the same lines as you. There are other options...I was going to buy a Rize, but went with a Titus instead. Will it affect Cannondale? not likely...Does it make me feel better?...absolutely!
We can only hope for poetic justice that mr ronald's is the next position offshored.
We can only hope for poetic justice that mr ronald's is the next position offshored.
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Ohh yeah...I hope so. I'd love to work in Taiwan.
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Trek's volume allows them to keep making high end stuff (and only high end). I am sure there is a good amount of Asian made widgets in those American made frames though.
There is a large amount of duties tied to importing of high end good into America. This is why assembly in the USA will still happen from Trek, Specialized and Cannondale. The cost of their product is too high to justify importing the whole bike. Trek's pricing is such that they can take a lower margin on high end stuff and save on import duties to make up the difference. I would still bet that they subsidize that business with low end imported product though. I don't work for Trek so don't quote me on that
There is a large amount of duties tied to importing of high end good into America. This is why assembly in the USA will still happen from Trek, Specialized and Cannondale. The cost of their product is too high to justify importing the whole bike. Trek's pricing is such that they can take a lower margin on high end stuff and save on import duties to make up the difference. I would still bet that they subsidize that business with low end imported product though. I don't work for Trek so don't quote me on that
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Don't need to worry about that! I'd be working in the bike industry You can hate on Asia manufacturing all you like however it is an honest truth that 90% of everything you touch was probably made there.
You can hate on Asia manufacturing all you like however it is an honest truth that 90% of everything you touch was probably made there.
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"Guys like us?" Then why did you resurrect the Jekyll name? Why? I'll tell you why; to try to lure back some of "guys like us", that's why.bad ronald said:
And there are former Cannondale customers that can get BOTH innovation AND Handmade in USA elsewhere.bad ronald said:
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It is sad that we are giving our jobs to other countries. The wage imbalance is a temporary (10 year or less) cost advantage. Japan used to be cheap. Then Korea was the cheap place with a skilled work force. Now it's China. But China is under intense internal pressure to increase wages and build their middle class. There have been strikes and factories have been shut down. When wage increases and other costs take affect that China does not incur now (think pollution control and hazardous waste disposal), the prices will be higher, but we will be out of work because we are not putting shovels into the ground. We are not welding frames or manufacturing components. We are reducing ourselves to middlemen.
This country used to be the manufacturing power house of the world. We are still "in the game", but we need to expand our manufacturing, especially today. Mixing labor with resources creates real wealth.
This country used to be the manufacturing power house of the world. We are still "in the game", but we need to expand our manufacturing, especially today. Mixing labor with resources creates real wealth.
A few years ago when you were buying a Cannondale you used to get the feeling that you were getting something else, something special. Not anymore.Ray Lee said:
Now I feel like I'm looking at a Specialized. The magic is gone.
And it sucks cause I know the bikes are better than ever.
I can't say I know how many of these bikes they sell. I'm sure its a small part of their business when you consider how large they are, but I think they make a lot of carbon bikes for the US and export than you think. The only reason that I brought it up is that Bad Ronald said "the domestic manufacturers that are left are technically not Cannondale's competition. They are so small scale that any business they get from guys like you will not affect their bottom line." I just know that Trek is a large company and they still make high end bikes here. One of these days I will to take a tour of their factory (if they remain here) and will try to get more info.69erSycip said:
I have 2 Treks and 2 Cannondales in the house. I like the Treks, love the Cannondales.
After giving away all of our manufacturing, at some point the people in the US are going to lose the real world knowledge of how to manufacture things. We are going to lose the ability to work and create things with our own hands and will become a nation of button pushers, iPhone twiddlers, code writers, and entertainment consumers. All of our greatest innovations started with just a couple folks dickin' around with an idea in a garage or workshop. You would be amazed at how many people I know that can't even change the spark plugs in their car and don't even know or understand basic mechanical principals.
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Just because masses of cheap goods come from China doesn't make it the right choice nor even a good choice. There are hidden costs to cheap goods, and its clearly American jobs that are lost. Keep in mind it's more than the job, it's the taxes and all the consumer spending that is supported by that job which feeds into the local and national economy. American's have been sold a bill of goods stating goods from China are cheaper so that is good for the consumer. It's a race to the bottom. Wage inflation will force jobs out of China and into India, Africa or any other country where masses of unskilled cheap labor remains untapped.bad ronald said:Don't need to worry about that! I'd be working in the bike industry
Don't even get me started on the very crafty business practices of Chinese companies. For such reasons I vote with my dollars and suggest other do so as well. One person clearly has no impact. But many people of the same mindset can, and have been sources for change.
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