Would you like to see where your import mills are born? A visit to China.

[damae]

Two weeks ago I was in Hong Kong and China on business and got to indulge my fascination with machines, CNC and milling machines in particular! Since many of the mills on the market today are imports and many CNCZONE members own and are retrofitting imports, I thought maybe you'd like to have a peek into the country where these mills are born!

Now, I don't intend this thread to be a debate over outsourcing and the "us vs. them" job market. (I think that's been done quite enough in other threads!) Just a lighthearted, innocent glimpse of the lives, thinking, and machines of southern China.

Some of the pictures are posted in my project log for my Bridgeport retrofit, but I didn't want to derail that thread too much.

Amae's Bridgeport Series I BOSS3 retrofit

I can't post a lot of the most interesting pictures from inside our factory. For instance, pictures showing our specialized molds for new products would violate the trust shown me by the factory and my company. What I will post is enough, however, to get a feeling for the place where all your import mills were born! =)

[damae]

I should add that I consider my counterparts in Hong Kong and China to be friends. For one thing, they watch my back when I'm there -- they make sure I dont' disappear down some dark alley!

Seriously though, they're excellent at what they do and a pleasure to work with. They always put on a feast, make sure that I get to see all the machines I want, and translate when the waitress or some locals in a snooker club are talking about me. =)


If you ever have the pleasure of visiting China, you should know that Chinese food in the US (and most parts of Europe from what I hear) is NOT Chinese food. It's an Americanized (or Europeanized?) version of chinese food, akin to opening a corn dog stand and calling it an American restaurant! It's just a slice, a snapshot of one style, and not the typical fare of most Americans. The pictures that look like the fish section of PetCo are from a typical restaurant where you pick your live food and then go to your table and wait for it to be cooked. Talk about fresh! WYSIWYE (not WYSIWYG). What You See Is What You Eat!

Some other pictures show a rack of EDM electrodes -- a sea of electrodes from projects past! (I can browse the rack and see shapes from parts I've designed going back 5 years). Another picture shows a tame version of how they use motorcycles to bravely transport goods, in this case eggs! (thinking don't crash, don't crash, ...) I've seen 5 people on one motorcycle, usually several times a day while I'm there.

There's something about the Chinese mentality I would like to point out, that, if you've never worked with a Chinese factory, you may not realize. They are not afriad to weld on their molds. If you're a moldmaker or design plastic parts, you know what I mean by this!

Within their realm of experience, they are not inhibited by ideas of "this can't be done" and "we have to charge you for every little manual thing we do." Welding on a mold can cause problems, and a toolmaker, can rightfully feel a little distress about possibly 'ruining' a brand new mold and perhaps a little unhappy toward whatever engineer order the change. However, this attitude is refreshingly absent from every China factory I've worked with so far.

In the interest of derailing any "us versus them" in this thread, I'm not trying to suggest anyone move their business anywhere, or that other toolmakers have any defficeincy. Just saying I like the can-do attitude. When you get outside their comfort zone and try radical new ideas, pushing the limits of possiblilty, then working in China requires carefully picking the right toolmaker for the job. (I've been burned there too). In the US, you can be less carefull. Each has their strength and weakness.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures. I wish I could post the most interesting ones, but they probably reveal just a tad more proprietary info than I feel comfortable with.

[posix]

they make them in a small corner shop! now THAT I like! if this had been a thread on "where do they make our -insert western brand- mills" then we'd be looking at a complex with on-site babysitters, cinema, supermarket and fitness centre. go chinese!

thanks for the insight damae!

[damae]

Originally Posted by posix they make them in a small corner shop! now THAT I like! ...

Glad to offer a snapshot of China! I had a lot of misperceptions before I first started traveling there, but it really opens your eyes when you walk around in a factory, meet the people, see how they live, connect with them as people and start to see how they think and feel. I have a lot of respect for how much they can do with very little!

Looking at the pictures, I should explain that the pictures of the working machine shop (with all the manual mills) is in a factory, while the small corner shops are mostly machine sales. There are a lot of working machine shops along the streets too, but I had a hard time getting a non-fuzzy picture of one from the van. They drive like in Mexico!

[ViperTX]

Okay damae...you had to travel half way around the world to determine that Chinese food in the US was was not the same as elsewhere....hmmmm....do you speak Mandarin or any dialect of Chinese.....

So, where in China were you....

[damae]

Originally Posted by ViperTX Okay damae...you had to travel half way around the world to determine that Chinese food in the US was was not the same as elsewhere....hmmmm....do you speak Mandarin or any dialect of Chinese.....

Nope. You?

[ViperTX]

Don't have to....the son and his wife do....*smile*

[damae]

Originally Posted by ViperTX Don't have to....the son and his wife do....*smile*

Very cool! It sure would help my bargaining in the street markets if I could do more than gesture for a calculator and punch in numbers! =)

I studied Japanese in college, but as things turned out, I've never been to Japan. My company is offering Chinese language classes in the coming months and I think I'm going to enroll. I hope to add phrases to my vocabulary like "Hey, this was supposed to be a hot runner, not an edge gate" and "Anyone for a game of snooker?" Currently I'm limited to ordering a few food items and detecting a familiar word here and there. My Hong Kong associates speak english so well that it's hard to learn more than a few new words in a trip. =)

[JavaDog]

Very cool pictures! Thanks for sharing what you could.

Man, I bet you can pick up those mills from those little shops for a song...of course, getting it back to the US would cost a bundle!

[bill south]

Great Shots Damae;
Last fall, I was in Singapore on vacation with the boss (home boss) and was hoping to score a few ball screws for my next project. Well, to make a long story short, I did not meet with my contact (from ebay) who lives there thus, no screws!!! However, I did enjoy the food (Cheryl wouldn't touch it) and meeting the people. I use to work for a company with a new plant in Sg and made several trips (via business class Singapore Air). Well, this time and on my own budget, we coached the trip and I swore that if I made it back home, no flights over 8 hours will ever flatten my rear again. Killer flight.
Anyway, on a side trip to Indonesia, Cheryl and I had lunch on a lake (in a floating resturant). I'll attach the serving for 2 for a chuckle. Cheryl ate the rice and I had a feed bag on for a solid hour!!!
Again, great pix's.
billyjack

[ViperTX]

Yeah.....you kinda have to see the raw ingredients....expecially in the smaller restaurants......if you see any movement....you probably don't want it....