[Blue]

Well I dare say some of you only know China (and perhaps Vietnam) from only from what you have read or culled from the media (whatever their respective slant/bias/objectivity may be).

I've actually got stuff made from Shenzen for my client about 2 years ago and the quality was top notch at a fraction the cost compared to a European and a US supplier my client was using and who both couldn't meet the tight deadline. I had to meet the Chinese factory and the design/production engineers and it was most definitely not a sweatshop employing child labor. The customer service was first rate throughout from first contact to delivery and I still have dealings with them today. So all I'd say is I challenge anyone who is an armchair critic/hypocrite to actually take a trip and experience things first hand.

Unfortunately the pace of change and development in most Asian economies is faster that most Westerners can comprehend (particularly those who don't travel to these parts). The population is large and there still remains wealth inequality and room for improvement in work practices and productivity but the fact remains there is an eagerness to get things done, quickly and efficiently, which is not always the case with some non-Asian suppliers I've dealt with firsthand. Some are real good but there are also those with a lot of hype but dodgy on the deliverables.

And there you are doing it the other direction. However, no one said you can't find top notch companies and manufacturing firms in China. How ever, you are skewing the image if you say that the average factory in China is what you portray above by showing the best of the best and implying its average. Personally, I wouldn't allow any cutting edge designs be handled by a "3rd party" based out of China. Besides, Pentax is seem to be actually running the plants in Vietnam by all appearances. I don't know how well that would work for them in China.

Unfortunately, most of the shipping tonnage being shipped in from China probably hits the recycle bin or land fill in 1.5 years. That doesn't account for major issues like the dog food and various toy recalls.

[creampuff]

No need to argue on semantics... nobody is inferring or implying that all Chinese factories are model factories.
Negative generalizations and stereotyping of Chinese companies and work conditions/work practices aren't always valid.
BTW, have you even visited China lately Blue? How about East Asia/South East Asia?
For the purposes of disclosure I have visited almost 30 countries so far...

[Blue]

No need to argue on semantics... nobody is inferring that all Chinese factories are model factories. So, have you even visited China lately Blue? How about East Asia/South East Asia?

For the purposes of disclosure I have visited almost 30 countries so far...

Actually, you did get the semantics involved in the discussion. I don't know how the almost 30 countries you have visited are part of the discussion. As far as Asia goes, just China in May '04, but didn't tour any camera or lens manufacturing facilities but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express on the way. Most of my traveling in the near future will likely be mostly to the Caribbean basin (& maybe Central/South America) until Korea in 2012. Just getting to Hawaii from my house is a long haul, in fact it was long enough when I lived in SoCal and I'm 2300 miles farther away now.

[creampuff]

If you get the chance, come by Singapore and you'll get a warm welcome from the many Pentax users over here...

[Blue]

If you get the chance, come by Singapore and you'll get a warm welcome from the many Pentax users over here...

I'll try plan my trip through Singapore! I believe it will be around August '12.

[Just1MoreDave]

If you get the chance, come by Singapore and you'll get a warm welcome from the many Pentax users over here...

Whoever runs Pentax Singapore, they are doing a great job promoting the brand.

Last week I found Singapore on my globe. I started looking for it maybe 4000 miles east and 1000 miles north. Not quite as far from here as you can get, but close.

[Banjo]

... I got a silver FA 77mm and its serial number card says "Printed in Jappan"...

This reminds me of an old marketing scam. The sticker says "Made in Australia"

Sure is: the sticker itself, but not the product it is attached to.

[braver]

The double pp made me stop in my tracks for a moment. Do other folks get the Jappan spelling?