Posted on 05/23/2008 8:16:35 AM PDT by WesternCulture
Swedish furniture maker Ikea celebrated the opening of its first factory in the United States on Wednesday.
Swedwood, a subsidiary of home furnishings giant, has 40 plants worldwide. The $281 million plant in Danville, Virginia will employ 300 people by the end of 2009, said Swedwood North America president Bengt Danielsson.
Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine was at Wednesday's ceremony to hail the economic boost to the ailing region along the North Carolina border, formerly a stronghold for the tobacco industry.
Swedwood received $12 million in incentives from in state and local authorities, as well as the Virginia Tobacco Commission funds.
"They're a lot more forward-thinking than some other communities in this corridor,” Ikea spokesman Joseph Roth said.
The Swedwood operation alone won't shore up the economy of a region with one of Virginia’s highest unemployment rates.
But local officials say the plant opening is an indication that things are going in the right direction.
Ikea currently operates 34 retail furniture outlets in the United States.
Nope. Danville’s not down in Wise County; Danville’s in southern Pittsylvania County, on the VA/NC line about an hour north of Greensboro, NC. The city gets its name from sitting on the Dan River; and ironically, one of the town’s favorite sons, a former Congressman from the area, is named Dan Daniel!
}:-)4
Even though regional differences were evident (economically as well as culturally) everyone I met was unfailingly polite and helpful, including the Guardia Civil (national guard/state police). Out of the seven countries that I have visited in Europe, Spain is my fave by a kilometer (although I haven't been to Sweden).
When I first moved out on my own twenty years ago, I bought a bunch of stuff from the Ikea store outside Washington (Potomac Mills, world’s largest outlet mall for a time). Most of it was fairly junky, but that’s because I couldn’t afford their good stuff at the time. Their expensive furniture was fantastic; their budget stuff seemed just a better-looking version of what I’d find at any big-box store. I do have one small rolling white three-drawer unit from them, though, that’s been totally fantastic...still going strong, 21 years and many moves later!
}:-)4
Maps, in general, are often great fun.
Personally, I’ve nurtured a love affair with maps since the age of 7 or something.
In this regard, the Internet is a great tool to a person like me.
Speaking of the North East Coast of the US, I recently realized something interesting from a geographical/demographical point of view by goofing around, exploring the world as illustrated by satellite images using a virtual globe program/live search map; the world’s largest coherent urban structure by today is probably the conurbation of Washington-Baltimore-Philadelphia-NYC.
It is bigger, even population wise than Tokyo. On the other hand, the Ruhr Area of Germany will sometime integrate with the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Utrecht-Antwerpen region of the Netherlands and Belgium, forming a urban structure housing 50 million inhabitants.
Al Gore would probably claim such a development constitutes a great threat against the sacred “environment”, but the expansion of true civilization is, luckily enough, not dependent on minds like his.
Illegal Mexicans making Swedish furniture that melts at 70% humidity. And I care?
- The country I live in, Sweden, is very different from other European countries like Germany, Italy and Spain, in the sense that those parts of Europe might constitute older cultures, although they are younger NATIONS.
Denmark, Sweden and Norway are, in fact, some of the oldest and most homogeneous nations of Europe.
“Even though regional differences were evident (economically as well as culturally) everyone I met was unfailingly polite and helpful, including the Guardia Civil (national guard/state police).”
- Glad to hear this. The Spaniards have a reputation of being open and friendly. Nice to hear you have good experiences as a visitor of Europe.
“although I haven't been to Sweden”
- Scandinavia is expensive, but by all means worth visiting (summertime, spring or early autumn is the best period). I've heard a lot of Americans say it's the part of Europe that resembles the US the most, but be prepared for Socialist attitudes and cockiness. On the other hand, it's just like Spain or the US; there are all kinds of people here..
“Illegal Mexicans making Swedish furniture that melts at 70% humidity. And I care?”
- Lots of them in Virginia?
Good for poor old Danville. They’ve been hammered over the past decade, tremendous job losses. They needed this, badly. Such a grand history, so much wealth from tobacco and textiles, virtually wiped out. Dan River bedding is now made in India.
Virginia has independent cities, so it's not part of a county, but it's surrounded by Pittsylvania County. Danville is on the Dan River, just above the North Carolina border. It's not really considered southwest Virginia; that's more up in the Blue Ridge. Danville's region is known as Southside, to Virginians.
Which begs the question, would Swedes prefer to have our Mexicans and Central Americans in place of what is currently living in Malmo? I know that my Polish cousins spend two years in a Latino neighborhood in Boston, and said that they had NO problems with their neighbors, and couldn't see what the fuss was about, considering all of the muslims that are pouring into Europe (including Poland, albeit in smaller numbers than other countries).
That’s pretty cool.... If you like that kind of crap.
Crap is crap, I don't care who owns the company. IOW, EUropeans using the USA to make dreck is just as bad as the Chinese using the USA to make dreck--just to get "Made in USA" on the label.
If the product is crap, I'd just as soon they made it elsewhere.
I'm not saying that as a matter of taste, but one of quality. A well made product I don't like the looks of isn't necessarily junk, if it is well made.
Sadly, the area is likely hurting for jobs, after all, between the Congress and the Courts hammering "Big" Tobacco (where people made a fairly good living on lots of 5-10 acre farms), people who grew another export product, world renown and used as a medium of exchange in places (as American cigarettes) are out of work there. So it is likely some economic development folks would sell their souls for an uptick in employment figures on their watch. And if things are lean enough, the people there will welcome any work that brings a paycheck.
- Being Scandinavian (Swedish), I always experience a great sense of pride whenever I hear about all the good things Nordic companies accomplish globally.
I've worked hard for Swedish industry in my life (I'm 38) and I don't exactly apologize for it.
Despite our small population, the Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden) is an economical power that rivals Germany and Russia (125% of Russia's GDP, 69 companies on the Forbes Global 2000 List, Germany has 57).
Like all cultures, Scandinavia is a paradox. People associate our societal concept with Socialism, the nanny state and limitation of the individual. I can clearly see the reasons why, yet we are a Capitalist powerhouse built on individual initiatives like that of Kamprad (founder and sole owner of IKEA).
People like him are admirable. They tower above ridiculous quarrels and the legendary strife between “The American Way of Life” and “The Swedish/Scandinavian Model”.
Well, I doubt very seriously that Ikea is doing this in order to get the "made in USA" imprimatur...since they sell on THEIR brand name, and if they'd wanted "Made in USA" they'd have done it long ago.
They're doing it for price, margin, and exchange rates.
I hope you'll consider my position on all this....mainly that it's not dreck manufacturers fault, it's consumers' fault. It's the MODERN CONSUMER that is demanding cheap crap over and over without a care in the world for durability. They want new, they want trendy, they want cheap, cheap cheap. And lots of it.
The market is providing what people want, and that is what is ultimately going to destroy what your 1950's perception of "Made in USA Quality" means.
I agree.
Just look at the cellphone buttons these days- the old calculators had the prints on keys that lasted beyond the life of the device itself, whereas in cellphones, a month or more of good use, and half the characters etched / printed on them are worn off beyond recognition.
In the old days, there was a reason why metal-coated etched plastic buttons were rarely used- they have very poor wear characteristics. Same with silver / metallic colours and chemical-treated "rubberised" finishes. Now, everything seems to have them.
“Which begs the question, would Swedes prefer to have our Mexicans and Central Americans in place of what is currently living in Malmo?”
- Personally, I don’t think Muslims belong in Europe.
There are individual Muslims that are admirable, but there is little admirable to say about Islam. Islam has some agreeable features to it, but on the other hand the Muslim world of today is extremly backward and unable of solving its own problems.
On the other hand, one must not underestimate how tired many Muslims are of living under the evil yoke of anti-humanist, ignorant Islamism.
Sweden is a very disciplined, thoroughly organized and aware society that for decades have been successful in adapting immigrants to the needs of one of the most successful economies on earth (Sweden had the highest GDP growth of all nation during 1870-1970 and although the period of 1975-1990 constituted a - Socialist - setback, Sweden is ever since the early 1990s again a beacon of Capitalist progress. Although Norway and Luxemburg are richer statistically speaking, the inhabitants of these countries do not enjoy a standard of living comparable to Swedes and no country can compete in the field of successful multinationals per capita - and our women are out of this world:D).
The spirit of Swedish Lutheranism will triumph over the evil Islamism.
Even in Rosengård, Malmö (often confused with Malmö as a whole among enemies of Islamism).
I dated a girl who was born in Colombia, but raised in Sweden. Kinda odd meeting a beautiful girl with Latin features, yet the Scandanavian personality.
Doing jobs Swedes won’t do?
I work in the electronics industry and, wow, the quality/durability is generally, afaict not considered ever!
In fact, you have to look at the design cycle time. It’s at least 6 months, sometimes as fast as 3 mos.
So companies are churning out essentially disposable cellphones, and televisions are maybe 2 years serviceability on the outside.
But, what’s the motivation or evidence that ANYBODY cares about it in their buying decisionmaking? Is there any metrics on battery life in anything? NO! I don’t mean numbers of hours operation per charge....because they do mention that.....but HOW LONG TILL THE BATTERY CRAPS OUT? May be 3 months on one phone I had. Awful! But how would anyone even know? And so how could anyone even make a decision about it?
But isn’t that what the ‘economy’ is based on? Quick! Buy a new one!
I have a metal “Made in USA” workbench from the 1960s. It’s pretty solid. Obviously, because it’s still in service. Though, the fit and finish of the stamped metal is maybe 1/8” tolerances...thus some of the drawers have a 1/4” whopper-jawed gap on them. Sure, they work, but would someone pay hundreds of 2008 dollars for such a sloppy looking heavy metal desk? No. A particle board desk might have milled finish that has super-tight tolerances and be $129. Maybe it’ll last for 3 years. Instead I paid $10 for this old used piece of junk, and it’ll serve my purpose for 10-15 more years.
So....didn’t I just screw over the people in Danville because I bought “Made in the USA?”
“They’re doing it for price, margin, and exchange rates.”
- Couldn’t agree more.
Businessmen like Bill Gates and Ingvar Kamprad are immensely successful because they master large scale business operations like these in a fashion no one else does and that’s the prime explanation behind their success - as well as these interest of (certain areas of) the consumer market of today constitutes the drive behind it all.
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