Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill R
Saw an Element flat screen tv the other day proudly displaying a logo that said assembled in USA. Now I am sure it is all asian parts imported here then assembled. My question is exactly who is assembling them in the USA?
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Flextronics down in Pflugerville Texas is where my money is. (I'm quite familiar with this end of the CE industry.) Its the same trick the auto makers used decades ago. Import "unfinished goods sub-assemblies," then import some of your foreign employees on visas to finish the goods, and pay less import tax because your visa dudes are bolting the seats in to the back and changing the rims and tires. It goes from a "commercial vehicle" to a "passenger vehicle" and you "save" $1800 in the process. (Including the disposal costs for the rims and tires.)
Assembled in USA for CE just means "Connectors were mated, screws were turned, and tape was dispensed." By no means should you confuse it for "American Jobs Built This." The "front desk" people at Flextronics all pass for American, but if you are lucky and trustworthy enough to be permitted to peek onto the actual work-floor you'd see nothing but visa workers from the far east. Everything to do with saving costs of importation, nothing at all to do with the American economy.
