Regalvanazing chain and anchor

[Murky 1]

Last year I came very close to buying a container of asian SS anchors just to sell here as scrap metal, it was financially viable. If you can buy a new SS anchor for less than SS scrap metal value in NZ, it gaotta tell you something doesn't it.

I had a WTF moment when my mate was telling me how he could buy a three-pack of new blades for his skilly at about the same price it used to cost to get one sharpened. Which meant he could cut up a stack of nailed wood without worrying about what he was hitting. (Which is also how he hit his own power lead).

 

How is it that these countries can buy up so much steel - apparently, so we are told, driving up the market price for any item containing steel - yet still sell it so cheap?

[Guest]

The big question is how much of the steel is actually steel?

 

One of the reasons asian made chain can be so soft is Toyota backseats and dashboards just lack sound structural tensile strength

 

A lot of SS out of there also rusts or pits badly which suggests it isn't that pure.

 

We sell shite loads of big shackles like is used in many moorings for example. If we buy plain steel round bar that is the same size as a shackles pin, it costs us more than an entire shackle, inc shipping and etc costs. Assuming someone was paid $20 a hour we couldn't put a thread on a shackle pin for less than we pay for a entire shackle.

 

For the same price as one Wichard (French) 10mm SS shackle we can buy 100 out of asia, and most of the time it would make zero difference in the application they are often used in.

 

Mind you asian prices are moving up quite quick where most others aren't. Hence higher quality non-asian made is often bugger all more.

 

But the margins on a lot of asian stuff are often that massive they can actually make an accountant smile. We land a very very common item for 20c, sell it for 36c and see them around town often for $3.95-4.95. And as a FYI the marine retailers are often way cheaper then the M10's, BP's and the like.

 

It's quite bizarre really but just a cycle the world goes thru I suppose. These days it's China and India, before that Taiwan and before that Japan. Now Japan makes seriously good quality but you have to pay for it. China will go that way sooner or later, it's well started and will only accelerate.

[wheels 543]

Yep, low labour cost is one reason. But a major issue for the countries like us is the compliance costs. Carbon credits, Dump fee's, OSH and so on. Then the huge overheads and frieght and that is all before we actually make anything.

China at the moment is still cheap labour and no health and safety and no worry about pollution, but as KM said, it's changing and the prices are rising.

Interestingly, a few years back a mate was wanting to import and distribute woodworking gear. So he went to China to take a look at the factories he ws considering. Now the interesting thing was that they all made the same looking machine. One might get painted grey and another factory Green, but the machines were the same design. So what he deiced in the end is that he watched various processes and the Factory machines that didn't wobble or vibrate or whatever, ended up being the facotry that he bought the gear from. Apparently some of the factory milling machines were terrible and he thought how can they make anything of precision if there own mills were not precise.

[Guest]

Got the stuff back today from East Tamaki Galvanizing. Total of 186kg and 558 NZD. The anchors look really nice and there were no problems with those. Some parts of the chain was little corroded but still ok. I like the result and I think the anchors will work years for us. With the anchors like Bruce (the original) and the CQR (the original made in scotland) I can recommend this place and the regalvanizing. Worth the money as they look like new. Time will tell if the new surface will stay there too but I think it is fine. The CQR copies with lead it is extra money and it may not be worth it. I like the old original CQR and Bruce and you can not even buy them new anymore. All new ones I have seen are made cheaply and just crap.