Buying British

[Sedo]

Hi don't want to seem too nationalistic but it would be nice if you could tell where you're purchases were manufactured. I've been looking at light weight awnings with a view to purchase one. The thing that gets me is there's a Sunncamp, Starcamp and a Towsure awning all seemingly identical.

This reminded me of the guy in the local bike shop telling me that he'd been to Thailand and been shown around a bike factory there. As he went through different sets of doors so he saw bikes from different quality manufactures being made. Bikes you would have thought came from Europe or the U.S.

My local caravan dealer has given me a Outdoor Revolution leaflet and they're nice awnings but no where does it say where they're manufactured.

I know my car's from Korea (but they're going to be made in Slovacia) and my vans a Bailey from Bristol, or is it, is that Bristol in Yangtong Province. You just don't know do you.

So does anyone know where these awning are made?

All the best

Tomo

 

[RogerL]

There's a requirement to identify country of origin on products sold - it's a pity this requirement doesn't extend to advertising before purchase.

I think it's generally safer to assume that all products are made outside the UK, unless you have specific information to the contrary.

While there are issues with human rights, slave labour and pollution regarding manufacturing in the Far East, their products are generally better quality than UK or European produced items.

How long till we see the first caravans from Korea?

 

[Lutz]

In this day and age, any indication of country of origin is a bit meaningless. Even if the product has been assembled in the UK, there's no guarantee that the components didn't come from elsewhere. It is almost unimaginable that every single part is UK made or even European. I doubt whether the manufacturers are even aware where some of the parts come from that they outsource. For example, most caravans, including UK ones, have chassis from AlKo or BPW, both of which are German companies but heaven only knows where AlKo or BPW produce them. Besides, while this is perhaps not common in the caravan industry, manufacturers sometimes shift production from one country to another during the course of a model run.

 

[Mike_374341361]

In reality, it's unlikeley to be able to find much equipment completely UK scourced and built any more. The UK's high cost base, means that it's usually far too expensive to produce goods here at an acceptable cost to the purchaser.

Thus goods are far more likely to be at least partly scoured in the Far East now. This is a great shame, because it means goods can be extraordinarlily cheap to purchase. This only serves to take manfacturing jobs and skills away from the UK. Buy cheap goods-lose your job!

 

[gary]

Speaking of Thailand, on the way back to the airport I spied two very British names. The first was the Triumph logo over a factory although I did suspect this might be womens underwear?, the other though was STANLEY no doubt about that!!

I can say about 95% of all cars steering gear is made in China regardless of where the cars actually put together.

China is probably the source of all these different 'named' awnings as well, what do we make here??

 

[Lutz]

Regarding your comment about Stanley, Gary, the firm that makes Stanley tools is actually a US company with headquarters in Connecticut, but there is also a Thai Stanley which produces lamps for the car industry and has nothing to do with Stanley of tool fame.

 

[Lutz]

Oh, and Triumph underwear is a German firm still family owned (they've got a nice website).

 

[gary]

Yes I went on the Triumph site to see what their logo looked like? With the Triumph logo as in motorbikes, the r is looped under and through the h and this was the logo I saw?

Always thought Stanley was British! you learn something everyday, nevertheless this logo was yellow and black as Stanley tools?

One of the best bargain out there are football shirts, any one you want with latest sponsors names for less than a fiver. Fakes? perhaps but back on topic, I'm informed their all made there anyway!!

 

[Sedo]

I think I like the German underwear link of Lutz's really Gary I can see where the design of the new type porch awnings comes from, like the Porchlite say, is a take on an inverted b cup, wouldn't you say. If the awnings are made out there you can see where the curved shapes and rip-stop nylon influences come from. The old type awnings are pretty angular and boring to look at. It looks as if I'm just going to have to buy one that'll fit the van o/k and like everything else not bother about buying British.

Thanks for all the input everyone.

Tomo

 

[freddy2]

There is a company making caravan accessories in china called Purple line. They put a big union flag on the box and make out the're made in England.