Viewpoint from U.S. mold builders----forwarded,just FYI

yuns2008 · 发表于 2005-8-30 10:17:00

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Mold makers want aid fighting 'unfair' foreign practices Daniel W. Gottlieb, Washington Editor Purchasing July 18, 2002 </TD></TR>
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U.S. mold, tool and die makers are looking toward a U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) report this fall to bolster their case for relief from foreign competition. They say U.S. government trade and other forms of assistance are needed to avert further shuttering and loss of jobs and business to foreign competitors. More than a score of industry association representatives and shop owners and congressmen from two centers of U.S. tool, die and mold making—Illinois and Pennsylvania—presented their case to the USITC in stark terms. They described their industry variously as "hemorrhaging" and of being threatened with extinction along with other U.S. manufacturing sectors.
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Charges of unfair foreign competition were aimed primarily at China, but also at Brazil, Portugal, Spain, and Mexico. Canada, where the bulk of U.S. imports come from, was also mentioned. The problem from across the northern border was couched, however, in terms of unfavorable exchange rates between the Canadian and U.S. dollars rather than unfair trade practices. 
The USITC is conducting a general investigation of the industry's situation at the request of the House Ways and Means Committee. Under this type of investigation, the Commission makes no recommendations, but reports independent findings and analysis. "We're waiting to see what the report says," says a spokesman for Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.), who sits on the committee and chairs the House Small Business Committee. 
Manzullo told the ITC: "This is an industry that is hemorrhaging." U.S. trade statistics "grievously underestimate" the losses to foreign competition, he claims. The Chinese are undercutting with bids as low as a third of those tendered by U.S. shops. In a survey of members prepared for the USITC, the American Mold Builders Association (AMBA) reported that the industry lost $1.3 to $1.6 billion in business to foreign competition in 2000 and 2001. Of the 10,645 reported orders lost, 59% went to Chinese producers and 16% to Canadian.
Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.), who also sits on the Ways and Means Committee, says one purpose of the investigation is to "generate factual information that otherwise is not available to the domestic tool and die industry" regarding global competitive conditions.
Matt Coffey, president of the National Tooling and Machining Association says U.S. companies, despite heavy investments in new technology, face unfair competition, such as Chinese tool and die shops quoting prices below the cost of materials. "They must be subsidized," Coffey says, citing a Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) report showing Chinese prices about one third the level of Japan's (see box). Another major problem he cites is the disappearing customer base of U.S. shops. OEMs are moving offshore and sourcing their tool, die and mold machinery abroad, says Coffey. If the trend continues, he predicts a "hollowing out" of U.S. manufacturing.
Several company presidents cite cases of losing bids by large margins to Chinese competitors. Daniel Jepsen, president of Jepson Precision Tool Inc. in Cranesville, Pa., says he learned from customers that Chinese shops price jobs "typically at about 25-30% of my quoted price, which is less than my fixed costs." Jepsen believes they are able to do so using unfair trade practices, such as subsidized raw materials, buildings and equipment from the government. 
John Belzer, president, TCI Precision Metals and board chairman of the National Tooling and Machining Association said his company's top three customers have moved their production overseas—to China, Singapore, and India. The customer that moved to India reported that machinists are paid 50¢/hr there compared to $19/hr, including fringes, in his shop. 
Olav Bradley, chairman of AMBAS government affairs committee and owner of P.M. Mold Company in Schaumburg, Ill., said the association has lost 103 of its 450 members in the last two years, mainly because of Asian competition. 
In response to questions from commissioners about statistics showing U.S. tool, die, and mold shipments rising, the witnesses claimed that they did not reflect current conditions and that some of the shipments represented molds made overseas coming back to the U.S. for rework. 
AMBA , in its written submission to the commission, advocated:
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<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">Adding import tariffs equal to those imposed by foreign countries on U.S. goods, </LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">Giving the president authority to initiative emergency tariffs "in the interest of national security," </LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">Discouraging the World Bank from financing companies that place tooling orders outside the U.S., </LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">Reinstating the investment tax credit to manufacturers that buy only U.S.- made molds and dies, and </LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">Encouraging schools to reinstate industrial arts classes with federal support. </LI></UL>
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<H3 >Japan's view of U.S. mold makers</H3>
A report to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) by a committee of Japanese die and mold makers makes these points about the parallel U.S. industry sector:
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<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">Imported dies and molds accounted for approximately 40% of the U.S. market in 2000, and only 3% of Japan's. "The dies and mold manufacturers in the U.S. do not wish to cooperate with users, and some of the Japanese users have concluded that they cannot use [U.S manufactured dies and molds]." </LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">The U.S. price of a stamping die set is as high as 1.8 times that of Japan and for a molding die 1.6 times. </LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">Final manufacturers or parts suppliers make about 75% of all dies and molds made in China for their captive markets. </LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">Foreign-based companies in China have higher competitiveness than nationalized companies. </LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt">Chinese prices are one quarter to one third of the equivalent in Japan and the leadtime is understood to be the same at companies that have sufficient competitiveness. </LI></UL>
Here is a table from the report comparing leading die and mold producing nations:
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Nation</TD>
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Production Yen/billion</TD>
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Export $billion</TD>
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Imports $billion</TD>
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Die set price ratio Japan=1.0</TD>
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Mold price ratio Japan=1.0</TD>
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Leadtime ratio Japan=1.0</TD></TR>
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USA</TD>
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700</TD>
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1.5</TD>
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2.0</TD>
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1.8</TD>
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1.6</TD>
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1.3</TD></TR>
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Germany</TD>
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400</TD>
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1.3</TD>
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0.7</TD>
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1.7</TD>
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0.8</TD>
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1.3</TD></TR>
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Korea</TD>
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200</TD>
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0.6</TD>
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0.1</TD>
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0.7</TD>
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0.8</TD></TR>
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Taiwan</TD>
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200</TD>
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0.5</TD>
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0.1</TD>
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0.8</TD>
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0.8</TD>
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-</TD></TR>
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China</TD>
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350</TD>
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1.6</TD>
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1.0</TD>
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0.3</TD>
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0.3</TD>
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-</TD></TR>
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Japan</TD>
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1700</TD>
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2.7</TD>
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0.3</TD>
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1.0</TD>
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1.0</TD>
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1.0</TD></TR></TABLE>
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 © 2005, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.</TD></TR></TABLE>
 PS: In my opinion, their complaints and claims were not reasonable, and the statistics from Japanese is not accurate yet.But anyhow, the readers can get to know some ideas from our oversea competitors. Now we have the predominance in labor cost, but 10 or 20 years later, we'll face the same situation as the predecessors.

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Viewpoint from U.S. mold builders----forwarded,just FYI

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