Airfix

[NARSES2]

Where do they get their plastic parts made these days?

As far as I'm aware it's mostly India. However there have been some quality control issues and some talks have been going on with prospective UK companies. How far that got I've no idea. Assuming they are at Telford it'll be a nice question to ask one of their reps' on the Sunday when things are quieter.

Some of their plastic is already made in the UK. They put out a long video a while back (over a year I think) where they invited various modelling Youtubers to the factory where they were making 1/24th Spitfires.

I had seen footage a while ago, it may of been on one of the Channel 4 or 5 ? half hour programmes on Hornby ? Not sure how far it got. One problem will be a lack of both companies with the ability to produce the kits and their capacity to do so even if they can.

Sign of the times as far as UK manufacturing goes I'm afraid 

[zenrat]

There is a 50% tariff on Indian made goods imported into the US after Modi upset you know who.
That would really have spoilt Hornby's day.

[Weaver]

Where do they get their plastic parts made these days?

As far as I'm aware it's mostly India. However there have been some quality control issues and some talks have been going on with prospective UK companies. How far that got I've no idea. Assuming they are at Telford it'll be a nice question to ask one of their reps' on the Sunday when things are quieter.

Some of their plastic is already made in the UK. They put out a long video a while back (over a year I think) where they invited various modelling Youtubers to the factory where they were making 1/24th Spitfires.

I had seen footage a while ago, it may of been on one of the Channel 4 or 5 ? half hour programmes on Hornby ? Not sure how far it got. One problem will be a lack of both companies with the ability to produce the kits and their capacity to do so even if they can.

Sign of the times as far as UK manufacturing goes I'm afraid 

I've updated my original post BTW.

Well if the tariffs stick (and the current US administration's inconsistency has been a major problem), surely Hornby and Plastech can make a case to the banks for expanding their business to produce more in the UK, where we only have 10% (? This week?) tariffs. Alternatively, can they find a US-based manufacturer and have US market kits produced there, and rest-of-the-world kits produced here, along Revell lines?

[Gondor]

Gentlemen, please remember that we have a no politics rule on the forum.

[scautomoton]

Unfortunately, the US market is in a volatile state due to unpredictable changes in import duty charges. Were I sitting in the Hornby boardroom I'd be looking at improving Airfix brand awareness in alternative markets. An obvious one is China, which is experiencing significant sales growth for our hobby, and has a very staunch nationalist drive by the current leadership regarding China's military strength and place in the world. If Airfix marketed better quality/detail versions of Chinese domestically produced aircraft/ships/armour, and also produced them in China then thats got to be a win surely?

[Beermonster58]

^^^This. Unfortunately, the US market is in a volatile state due to unpredictable changes in import duty charges. Were I sitting in the Hornby boardroom I'd be looking at improving Airfix brand awareness in alternative markets. An obvious one is China, which is experiencing significant sales growth for our hobby, and has a very staunch nationalist drive by the current leadership regarding China's military strength and place in the world. If Airfix marketed better quality/detail versions of Chinese domestically produced aircraft/ships/armour, and also produced them in China then thats got to be a win surely?

Interesting idea. 😊. Or, maybe Airfix could market kits from  Trumpeter or other Chinese manufacturers under their own label as they did with the Academy 1/35 AFV kits.
Kits are made in China, bought by Airfix and, repackaged in the UK. Both sides benefit surely?

[Weaver]

Gentlemen, please remember that we have a no politics rule on the forum.

Duly noted - previous post edited to neutral language.   

[Weaver]

^^^This. Unfortunately, the US market is in a volatile state due to unpredictable changes in import duty charges. Were I sitting in the Hornby boardroom I'd be looking at improving Airfix brand awareness in alternative markets. An obvious one is China, which is experiencing significant sales growth for our hobby, and has a very staunch nationalist drive by the current leadership regarding China's military strength and place in the world. If Airfix marketed better quality/detail versions of Chinese domestically produced aircraft/ships/armour, and also produced them in China then thats got to be a win surely?

I wonder what the modelling scene is like in India? I mean, if that's where they're being made...

[Weaver]

^^^This. Unfortunately, the US market is in a volatile state due to unpredictable changes in import duty charges. Were I sitting in the Hornby boardroom I'd be looking at improving Airfix brand awareness in alternative markets. An obvious one is China, which is experiencing significant sales growth for our hobby, and has a very staunch nationalist drive by the current leadership regarding China's military strength and place in the world. If Airfix marketed better quality/detail versions of Chinese domestically produced aircraft/ships/armour, and also produced them in China then thats got to be a win surely?

Interesting idea. 😊. Or, maybe Airfix could market kits from  Trumpeter or other Chinese manufacturers under their own label as they did with the Academy 1/35 AFV kits.
Kits are made in China, bought by Airfix and, repackaged in the UK. Both sides benefit surely?

Shipped halfway round the world AND all the way back again just to put them in a different box? Surely it'd be cheaper to just get them repackaged in China and sold straight to market. However the problem with selling Chinese kits of Chinese hardware to the Chinese is that Trumpeter et al have pretty much got that market sown up already. Furthermore, if Chinese modellers' interest is driven by patriotism, then they're hardly likely to favour a western brand, that has no significant historical/patriotic/nostalgic caché for them, over their domestic ones.

The other thing they could do is loan/swap mould tools with Chinese manufacturers, however I'd be wary of that. There have been horror stories too numerous to mention of IP theft and straight-forward rip-offs when dealing wtih Chinese companies. Chinese law on the subject is unhelpfully fuzzy in theory, and distinctly unsympathetic to foreign companies in practice.

[Beermonster58]

^^^This. Unfortunately, the US market is in a volatile state due to unpredictable changes in import duty charges. Were I sitting in the Hornby boardroom I'd be looking at improving Airfix brand awareness in alternative markets. An obvious one is China, which is experiencing significant sales growth for our hobby, and has a very staunch nationalist drive by the current leadership regarding China's military strength and place in the world. If Airfix marketed better quality/detail versions of Chinese domestically produced aircraft/ships/armour, and also produced them in China then thats got to be a win surely?

Interesting idea. 😊. Or, maybe Airfix could market kits from  Trumpeter or other Chinese manufacturers under their own label as they did with the Academy 1/35 AFV kits.
Kits are made in China, bought by Airfix and, repackaged in the UK. Both sides benefit surely?

Shipped halfway round the world AND all the way back again just to put them in a different box? Surely it'd be cheaper to just get them repackaged in China and sold straight to market. However the problem with selling Chinese kits of Chinese hardware to the Chinese is that Trumpeter et al have pretty much got that market sown up already. Furthermore, if Chinese modellers' interest is driven by patriotism, then they're hardly likely to favour a western brand, that has no significant historical/patriotic/nostalgic caché for them, over their domestic ones.

The other thing they could do is loan/swap mould tools with Chinese manufacturers, however I'd be wary of that. There have been horror stories too numerous to mention of IP theft and straight-forward rip-offs when dealing wtih Chinese companies. Chinese law on the subject is unhelpfully fuzzy in theory, and distinctly unsympathetic to foreign companies in practice.

Well, first of all, I didn't suggest that the repackaged kits be sent back to China in Airfix boxes.  I suggested that a similar arrangement such as that employed when Airfix  repackaged Academy kits might be arranged. With Airfix's much wider UK distribution network, the imported Chinese kits, not necessarily limited to Chinese hardware might enjoy a wider market than otherwise in the UK and elsewhere covered by Airfix's distribution network. So, yes, I' in broad agreement with the earlier post. Whether or not it's practical or achievable is another matter.

[Weaver]

^^^This. Unfortunately, the US market is in a volatile state due to unpredictable changes in import duty charges. Were I sitting in the Hornby boardroom I'd be looking at improving Airfix brand awareness in alternative markets. An obvious one is China, which is experiencing significant sales growth for our hobby, and has a very staunch nationalist drive by the current leadership regarding China's military strength and place in the world. If Airfix marketed better quality/detail versions of Chinese domestically produced aircraft/ships/armour, and also produced them in China then thats got to be a win surely?

Interesting idea. 😊. Or, maybe Airfix could market kits from  Trumpeter or other Chinese manufacturers under their own label as they did with the Academy 1/35 AFV kits.
Kits are made in China, bought by Airfix and, repackaged in the UK. Both sides benefit surely?

Shipped halfway round the world AND all the way back again just to put them in a different box? Surely it'd be cheaper to just get them repackaged in China and sold straight to market. However the problem with selling Chinese kits of Chinese hardware to the Chinese is that Trumpeter et al have pretty much got that market sown up already. Furthermore, if Chinese modellers' interest is driven by patriotism, then they're hardly likely to favour a western brand, that has no significant historical/patriotic/nostalgic caché for them, over their domestic ones.

The other thing they could do is loan/swap mould tools with Chinese manufacturers, however I'd be wary of that. There have been horror stories too numerous to mention of IP theft and straight-forward rip-offs when dealing wtih Chinese companies. Chinese law on the subject is unhelpfully fuzzy in theory, and distinctly unsympathetic to foreign companies in practice.

Well, first of all, I didn't suggest that the repackaged kits be sent back to China in Airfix boxes.  I suggested that a similar arrangement such as that employed when Airfix  repackaged Academy kits might be arranged. With Airfix's much wider UK distribution network, the imported Chinese kits, not necessarily limited to Chinese hardware might enjoy a wider market than otherwise in the UK and elsewhere covered by Airfix's distribution network. So, yes, I' in broad agreement with the earlier post. Whether or not it's practical or achievable is another matter.

Ah, I see what you mean.

That doesn't solve Airfix's tariff problem with the US though, because Chinese-made goods are subject to the same tariff regime as far as I know. To get into the US at a low tariff they have to be manufactured somewhere with a low tariff, not just repackaged there.

[zenrat]

Shifting manufacturing to somewhere more tariff friendly will take time and money.  And even then, who's to say BOB won't change the rates again making it all meaningless.

[Beermonster58]

^^^This. Unfortunately, the US market is in a volatile state due to unpredictable changes in import duty charges. Were I sitting in the Hornby boardroom I'd be looking at improving Airfix brand awareness in alternative markets. An obvious one is China, which is experiencing significant sales growth for our hobby, and has a very staunch nationalist drive by the current leadership regarding China's military strength and place in the world. If Airfix marketed better quality/detail versions of Chinese domestically produced aircraft/ships/armour, and also produced them in China then thats got to be a win surely?

Interesting idea. 😊. Or, maybe Airfix could market kits from  Trumpeter or other Chinese manufacturers under their own label as they did with the Academy 1/35 AFV kits.
Kits are made in China, bought by Airfix and, repackaged in the UK. Both sides benefit surely?

Shipped halfway round the world AND all the way back again just to put them in a different box? Surely it'd be cheaper to just get them repackaged in China and sold straight to market. However the problem with selling Chinese kits of Chinese hardware to the Chinese is that Trumpeter et al have pretty much got that market sown up already. Furthermore, if Chinese modellers' interest is driven by patriotism, then they're hardly likely to favour a western brand, that has no significant historical/patriotic/nostalgic caché for them, over their domestic ones.

The other thing they could do is loan/swap mould tools with Chinese manufacturers, however I'd be wary of that. There have been horror stories too numerous to mention of IP theft and straight-forward rip-offs when dealing wtih Chinese companies. Chinese law on the subject is unhelpfully fuzzy in theory, and distinctly unsympathetic to foreign companies in practice.

Well, first of all, I didn't suggest that the repackaged kits be sent back to China in Airfix boxes.  I suggested that a similar arrangement such as that employed when Airfix  repackaged Academy kits might be arranged. With Airfix's much wider UK distribution network, the imported Chinese kits, not necessarily limited to Chinese hardware might enjoy a wider market than otherwise in the UK and elsewhere covered by Airfix's distribution network. So, yes, I' in broad agreement with the earlier post. Whether or not it's practical or achievable is another matter.

Ah, I see what you mean.

That doesn't solve Airfix's tariff problem with the US though, because Chinese-made goods are subject to the same tariff regime as far as I know. To get into the US at a low tariff they have to be manufactured somewhere with a low tariff, not just repackaged there.

^^^This. Unfortunately, the US market is in a volatile state due to unpredictable changes in import duty charges. Were I sitting in the Hornby boardroom I'd be looking at improving Airfix brand awareness in alternative markets. An obvious one is China, which is experiencing significant sales growth for our hobby, and has a very staunch nationalist drive by the current leadership regarding China's military strength and place in the world. If Airfix marketed better quality/detail versions of Chinese domestically produced aircraft/ships/armour, and also produced them in China then thats got to be a win surely?

Interesting idea. 😊. Or, maybe Airfix could market kits from  Trumpeter or other Chinese manufacturers under their own label as they did with the Academy 1/35 AFV kits.
Kits are made in China, bought by Airfix and, repackaged in the UK. Both sides benefit surely?

Shipped halfway round the world AND all the way back again just to put them in a different box? Surely it'd be cheaper to just get them repackaged in China and sold straight to market. However the problem with selling Chinese kits of Chinese hardware to the Chinese is that Trumpeter et al have pretty much got that market sown up already. Furthermore, if Chinese modellers' interest is driven by patriotism, then they're hardly likely to favour a western brand, that has no significant historical/patriotic/nostalgic caché for them, over their domestic ones.

The other thing they could do is loan/swap mould tools with Chinese manufacturers, however I'd be wary of that. There have been horror stories too numerous to mention of IP theft and straight-forward rip-offs when dealing wtih Chinese companies. Chinese law on the subject is unhelpfully fuzzy in theory, and distinctly unsympathetic to foreign companies in practice.

Well, first of all, I didn't suggest that the repackaged kits be sent back to China in Airfix boxes.  I suggested that a similar arrangement such as that employed when Airfix  repackaged Academy kits might be arranged. With Airfix's much wider UK distribution network, the imported Chinese kits, not necessarily limited to Chinese hardware might enjoy a wider market than otherwise in the UK and elsewhere covered by Airfix's distribution network. So, yes, I' in broad agreement with the earlier post. Whether or not it's practical or achievable is another matter.

Ah, I see what you mean.

That doesn't solve Airfix's tariff problem with the US though, because Chinese-made goods are subject to the same tariff regime as far as I know. To get into the US at a low tariff they have to be manufactured somewhere with a low tariff, not just repackaged there.

^^^This. Unfortunately, the US market is in a volatile state due to unpredictable changes in import duty charges. Were I sitting in the Hornby boardroom I'd be looking at improving Airfix brand awareness in alternative markets. An obvious one is China, which is experiencing significant sales growth for our hobby, and has a very staunch nationalist drive by the current leadership regarding China's military strength and place in the world. If Airfix marketed better quality/detail versions of Chinese domestically produced aircraft/ships/armour, and also produced them in China then thats got to be a win surely?

Interesting idea. 😊. Or, maybe Airfix could market kits from  Trumpeter or other Chinese manufacturers under their own label as they did with the Academy 1/35 AFV kits.
Kits are made in China, bought by Airfix and, repackaged in the UK. Both sides benefit surely?

Shipped halfway round the world AND all the way back again just to put them in a different box? Surely it'd be cheaper to just get them repackaged in China and sold straight to market. However the problem with selling Chinese kits of Chinese hardware to the Chinese is that Trumpeter et al have pretty much got that market sown up already. Furthermore, if Chinese modellers' interest is driven by patriotism, then they're hardly likely to favour a western brand, that has no significant historical/patriotic/nostalgic caché for them, over their domestic ones.

The other thing they could do is loan/swap mould tools with Chinese manufacturers, however I'd be wary of that. There have been horror stories too numerous to mention of IP theft and straight-forward rip-offs when dealing wtih Chinese companies. Chinese law on the subject is unhelpfully fuzzy in theory, and distinctly unsympathetic to foreign companies in practice.

Well, first of all, I didn't suggest that the repackaged kits be sent back to China in Airfix boxes.  I suggested that a similar arrangement such as that employed when Airfix  repackaged Academy kits might be arranged. With Airfix's much wider UK distribution network, the imported Chinese kits, not necessarily limited to Chinese hardware might enjoy a wider market than otherwise in the UK and elsewhere covered by Airfix's distribution network. So, yes, I' in broad agreement with the earlier post. Whether or not it's practical or achievable is another matter.

Ah, I see what you mean.

That doesn't solve Airfix's tariff problem with the US though, because Chinese-made goods are subject to the same tariff regime as far as I know. To get into the US at a low tariff they have to be manufactured somewhere with a low tariff, not just repackaged there.

.
No worries 😊👍Actually, I think I should have worded my post a bit better to begin with! 😉

[NARSES2]

Do people have to fill up almost a page with repeated quotes ? I think we've hit a record with one of the replies above. Can't you simply edit them ? It takes seconds.

Not a big issue, but as a Mod it just means I have to repeatedly read the same thing over and over again.

As for Tariffs and how to deal with them ? I think we've exhausted the discussion by now, especially as virtually no one on the planet has the vaguest idea as to what will actually happen in the next few weeks, let alone months, so it is mere speculation.

[Weaver]

Shifting manufacturing to somewhere more tariff friendly will take time and money.  And even then, who's to say BOB won't change the rates again making it all meaningless.

Exactly - companies WILL do this sort of thing, but they need to have confidence that the tariff situation will be stable for the next ten years at least.