Where are the savings? (shifting production from Japan to China)

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RichA - 30 Aug 2007 01:55 GMT

Olympus shifted entry-level DSLR mfg from Japan to China. So where
are the savings for the consumer from cutting the wage rate from
$24.00/hr in Japan to $1.50/hr in China?

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Mark B. - 30 Aug 2007 02:24 GMT

> Olympus shifted entry-level DSLR mfg from Japan to China. So where
> are the savings for the consumer from cutting the wage rate from
> $24.00/hr in Japan to $1.50/hr in China?

I hope you're being sarcastic. Manufacturers don't do this to pass savings
on to the lowly consumer. They do it to improve their bottom line and/or
reduce the cost to major retailers demanding ever-cheaper product.

Mark

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RichA - 30 Aug 2007 15:26 GMT

> > Olympus shifted entry-level DSLR mfg from Japan to China. So where
> > are the savings for the consumer from cutting the wage rate from
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Mark

Well, it did work for Olympus. And here I thought their bottom line
was shaped more by changing their marketing and camera models.

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Not Disclosed - 30 Aug 2007 03:15 GMT

> Olympus shifted entry-level DSLR mfg from Japan to China. So where
> are the savings for the consumer from cutting the wage rate from
> $24.00/hr in Japan to $1.50/hr in China?

Where do you get $1.50/hr in China? It's much lower, more like $10/week.

Where are the savings? a D200 sells for $1500 CAD, instead of the $3000+
of the D100 when it was new.

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frederick - 30 Aug 2007 03:42 GMT

>> Olympus shifted entry-level DSLR mfg from Japan to China. So where
>> are the savings for the consumer from cutting the wage rate from
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Where are the savings? a D200 sells for $1500 CAD, instead of the $3000+
> of the D100 when it was new.

And it's not even made in China.

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RichA - 30 Aug 2007 15:29 GMT

> > Olympus shifted entry-level DSLR mfg from Japan to China. So where
> > are the savings for the consumer from cutting the wage rate from
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Where are the savings? a D200 sells for $1500 CAD, instead of the $3000+
> of the D100 when it was new.

Non-sequitor, pricing unrelated to any shift in production. Besides,
the D200 is made in Japan and the cheaper Nikons I believe are made in
Thailand. Also, the D100 is much older than any camera mentioned and
was produced when the average DSLR was $3000.
I'm saying from the Olympus E-300 (made in Japan) to the E-510 (China
and construction wise, the E-300 is probably more expensive to
fabricate) the prices didn't change at all, but the production origin
did.

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