Except in this case, as I was told it overall costs Naim a bit more once you factor in the logistics, but they do get the extra capacity, the skilled personnel, quality, and flexibility that couldn’t be easily found more locally.
2 Likes
Even supposing that it is true - and Richard has affirmed that it isn’t - doesn’t it make sense to manufacture at a lower cost point?
To do otherwise is the manufacturing equivalent of assessing the cost of an identical item in several different supermarkets and then actively choosing the most expensive. I wouldn’t do that…
1 Like
I get logistics is obviously more, but that could easily be sorted by having the units checked over there correctly.
I also get manufacturing costs will be much lower over there, plus probably duty costs might be beneficial now we are not in Europe.
But i dont get it couldn’t be done here statement one bit, sorry but that’s just my take on it all.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if down the road all the units will be made outside the uk, due to cost’s, as the uk is fast becoming just a storage unit, due to high labour cost’s, etc, etc.
I also fully understand that in order to survive things like this need to happen, and you can only blame the uk for getting like this. It’s a shame to see but that’s how it is right now.
I work alongside many big manufacturing firms, and this has been going on how for years.
I also once again state, i have no problem with them being made outside the UK
1 Like
Are we really having this discussion again! 
4 Likes
I think Tesla manufacture most of their cars in China!
I would be happy to be able to buy a pair of 350 monoblocs that were designed in Salisbury, built in Paris, driven twice around Africa, and sold in Australia.
4 Likes
Do you mind if it is clockwise or anticlockwise around Africa?
BTW I am sure someone will pipe up to tell us why one is better than the other vis-a-vis sound quality and then someone disputes this and the thread will get even further hi-jacked than it already is.
1 Like
Actual reports from people who have been and heard the 300 series absolutely can’t come fast enough! Anything to stop all this other nonsense.
3 Likes
There was somewhere Romsey way that paid a bit more, so lost a few; that was 2019.
Hi all, here are some interesting facts about Slovakia I’ve found. Totally off topic but interesting nonetheless:
- World’s highest number of castles and chateaux per capita. …
- More than 6000 caves. …
- First reservation of folk architecture in the world. …
- The only capital in the world bordering two countries. …
- Currency = Euro (€) …
- Geographical midpoint of Europe. …
- Travelling by train for free.
I think that the currency fact is probably borderline interesting.
7 Likes
Seems like a cool place to build hifi.
2 Likes
Maybe we need a travel category on this forum! 
I think it’s the ‘easily’ bit that irks some of us. I own and run a manufacturing business and we do everything we can locally. Even designing and building our machinery. It isn’t easy. It would be much easier to go to China. But if we did then we’d sacrifice our IP eventually, as well as the next generation of designers, engineers, printers etc. And those skills are only lost once, you don’t get a second chance.
19 Likes
Well said!
Exactly, and a lot of people want to “buy local” because it supports their communities. Off course, this applies to many different things. And then there are the environmental and sustainability issues of transporting gear back and forth etc.
1 Like
There are discussions on bare units, PSU’d units and DR units. Will there be further sub categories such as Salisbury or Slovakia? Will pre-used units be advertised as ‘etched label’ or ‘overlay label’ with a price premium for the ‘etched label’? 
Does anybody know which country/region buys the most Naim gear? It may not be the UK.
1 Like
To be fair to Richard, there is probably a lot more to it than the word “easily” implies. Cost effective springs to mind but there will be more parameters that will have been considered also. IMO. If UK based manufacturers want the business they must have the skills and be competitive and I guess in this scenario they either lacked in one or both. It’s just Business in my mind.
1 Like
It’s worth noting we don’t know fully the reasons for Naim’s chosen distribution model. And it’s not really that easy to offshore to China b/c many companies do it to great difficulty just to save a few bucks. Labor pools can vary considerably nation to nation so it can make sense to offshore certain functions. Fact is most if not every consumer good in your home, garage, driveway, etc, is manufactured, produced, assembled, etc in multiple foreign nations. It sounds good to say buy local but it’s mostly an empty gesture b/c most people won’t want to pay the additional costs, $$, environmental, taxes, etc, of “manufacturing local”. I just checked the back of my NC kit and it says it was manufactured in the UK, I wonder if that affects the SQ?
The path of least resistance is generally a short term tactic. It rarely wins long term.
Cost pressures aside, I feel pedigree is vitally important to many of us at this level of spend.
We will all have our own view on whether outsourcing manufacture to Slovakia enhances or diminishes that very precious commodity.
2 Likes