The following is an excerpt from the book, Factory Man. It is regarding overseas competition in the furniture business. Bassett Furniture has a local manufacturing plant in the town of Galax, about 50 miles or so from where I live in southwest Virginia. Blame China all you like, but I think the American government and American business people bear a large part of the blame for exporting American manufacturing to Asia.
"The first time John Bassett visited an Asian factory was in 1984, and
it was only after dinner and way too many drinks that an elderly factory owner in Taiwan revealed his real opinion of American business leaders. The man was so candid that at first, his own interpreter clammed up, refusing to translate his words.
The Taiwanese businessman had negotiated plenty of deals with Europeans and South Americans, but he'd never met people quite like the Americans.
What do you mean? JBIII pressed.
I have figured you guys out, the translator finally relayed.
Tell me.
If the price is right, you will do anything. We have never seen people before who are this greedy -- or this naive.
The Americans were not only knocking one another over in a stampede to import the cheapest furniture they could but they were also ignoring the fact that they were jeopardizing their own factories back home by teaching their Asian competitors every nuance of the American furniture-making trade.
When we got on top, the man said, don't expect us to be dumb enough to do for you what you've been dumb enough to do for us."
