The Computer Buzz

July 3rd, 2008

Nome and Paul Van Middlesworth - owners - The Computer Factory
 

The Computer Factory and the Asian Connection

When cultures meet, the contrasts create caricatures of one to the other. We Americans are regarded as brash, loud, impulsive and arrogant. As businessmen we're expected to pump your hand, slap your back, bolt a shot of bourbon and bellow yahoo. That's how we close a deal.

We have come to notice broad cultural trends relating to many of the Asian cultures. One characteristic especially with the Chinese is a certain charming bullheadedness. They simply don't like to take advice. Perhaps because their culture is so ancient it is difficult to lend credibility to we upstart Yankees. This stubbornness is often discernable in the language of the instructions on consumer products made for Americans. This "Chinglish" exposes a sometimes comical penchant for doing things their own way.

Recently mainland China and several other Asian nations have become significant producers of low cost electronics and other consumer goods. Many of these cultures lack experience with industrial quality control or product liability issues. Many are also saddled with output-oriented government run industrial bureaucracies. These factors tend to foster product quality problems.

Where China and other emerging nations manufacture components for western manufacturers, built to western specifications and subject to western quality control standards, there have been few problems. When these nations begin to design, produce and package finished products for American companies like Apple, Dell or HP, the cultural differences start to show up. Every day we hear of adulterated or unsafe finished products coming from Mainland China, often bearing trusted American logos. In their haste to cut costs, American companies have given away design and quality control over their own branded products. Here's what can happen.

In 2001 a complex trail of industrial espionage took a stolen formula for industrial capacitor electrolyte from Japan, to Mainland China and then to Taiwan. Capacitor makers eagerly incorporated this low cost electrolyte to produce cheap capacitors for motherboards used to make American brand PCs. This formula was defective. Over time, Hydrogen gas de-compounds; swelling, then rupturing the capacitors thus killing the motherboard.

We see "swollen/leaking capacitors" on many of the Dell, Compaq, Gateway, HP and E-Machines that come to our shop for repair.

Almost no PC components are made in America. Buying offshore PC components is not a quality problem for us. We purchase top of the line components from established manufactures. Overseas PC manufacturers who build America's name brand PCs buy cheaper, less reliable components. Since American PC companies stopped making there own PCs., quality, reliability and service levels have plummeted.

If you would like to own a quality, Windows XP based, "made in America" laptop or desktop PC, come see us. If you don 't mind owning a third party, third rate, third world Microsoft "Edsel" (Vista) PC made by an offshore contract manufacturer who won the "low bid", check out the Compaq, HP, Dell and Gateway PCs at your local Best Buy, Walmart, Costco, Fry's, Staples or Office Depot.

Just watch out for the bamboo spiders.