Naim To Share Manufacturing

The re-incarnation of the MG was originally built in Longbridge but moved to China a couple for so years ago and as you say Autocar picked the MG over many more expensive rivals.

You get special model ones with Perspex lids so you can see exactly where the cable ties need to go.
Clue for you: if you can see one with a Perspex lid, then it’s made in the factory.

Hmmm I should have pinched the sn2/xs2 when the 3’s came out; I wonder where they are now? And the ā€œoldā€ 250dr can be retired. You can hook up a pretty nice system from that lot.

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Thats a good point lol

To be fair, with Naim’s method of manufacture they should sound equal.

Perhaps Naim should move their new factory into the British embassy in Slovakia - there ā€œMade in the UKā€ :grin:

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And given that, anyone buying for the Naim design, Naim engineering, Naim sound characteristics should be happy, content in the knowledge the backroom work hasn’t changed, but the production problems have been resolved

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I don’t think where something is made really matters as long as the company has full control and QA.

My previous speakers, Monitor Audio, designed in the UK and made in their own factory in China. Build quality and finish is fantastic, the piano black sub is like a mirror.

Current speakers, designed in Denmark, made in a north Oxfordshire garage, finish is nowhere near as good … the designer had no control over the build :grinning:

Mark

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It’s all about losing money as quickly as possible!

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I worked in the motor industry for 40 years, mainly involved with the Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen brands.
When they spread their manufacturing wings out of Germany, they controlled it so well that there was no customer perceived reduction in product quality.
The key challenge for Naim is to continue to design and manufacture top quality hi-fi products which customers want to buy. If it does this it will have a bright future, no matter where the manufacture takes place.

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Mirrors my thoughts too. There’s no intrinsic reason why a plant in Slovakia can’t produce fine quality products PROVIDED that Naim HQ closely control quality and production standards, employee and management quality, etc…
Im assuming (and hoping) it’s not just a cost cutting exercise.

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Yup most likely a large part of the reasoning behind it or they would have expanded in the UK. Most (not all of
Course) PE is normally a leach on companies, just hope it doesn’t end in tears. Squeeze, squeeze, be interesting to see accounts re debt added in a couple of years.

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I hope you’re being pessimistic, but fear I’m being optimistic. I share your view of PE (having worked in the City for 30+ years I know the model very well). It seems to lack the capability/imperative to factor in anything as intangible as ā€˜luxury premium’ unless it’s blatantly obvious like a Swiss watch manufacturer or similar. Otherwise, it never makes exceptions for exceptional delivery/expectation, unique product quality or sticky user retention over the immediate bottom line. Too many unknowns for us outsiders.

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There’s rarely a longer term vision. Just an ā€œoutā€ in 3-5 years. But in this case we’re well past that point, so perhaps these guys are the exception.

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@TimOopNorth - And then to rub it in some of us ā€œmugsā€ are asked to stump up the thick end of Ā£500pa for the continued privilege of a few letters after our name!

That thought just got me wondering: the opportunity cost of that ā€œinvestmentā€ could have bought me a fair few nice Naim boxes over the years! If I had the choice I know what I would prefer…. :wink:

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…I’m sure the other silent (wife) board member will veto that proposal.
Good luck and don’t forget the flowers…

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Look! There’s the rare and collectible Supernit.

Hi @KJC I’m a pessimist who thinks he’s a realist…. Or is it the other way round :thinking:

Yes have some knowledge of PE and hate what it has generally sunk to. Not sure what the prospects are for Naim in the future but the likely outcomes are a sale as a single Focal/Naim entity with manufacturing spread over 3 countries, ( 4 with Muso). If so who knows what would happen to Naim in the UK. See below…

Worse would be a sale to another PE lot. This never seems to have great outcomes, as the debt is almost always dumped on the target company.

Other potential outcome is a sale to a HiFi conglomerate, then all bets as to future may be off. Best possible outcome would be a management buyout, and if not then a sale of Naim on its own to another British brand.

I think I’ll take some happy pills and keep my fingers crossed. In the meantime there’s some great product for us to enjoy :slightly_smiling_face: :clap:t2: as long as the PE :face_with_symbols_over_mouth: don’t try to squeeze pricing too much !

Not so rare, if you have young children of school age…

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Well, saying this as someone who is originally from Slovakia, this news just increased the appeal of Naim products for me :slight_smile:

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I’m not 100% sure on that. From a consumer’s POV, assuming the product is made to the same standards then the consumer effectively gets the same ā€˜deal’ regardless of place of manufacture.

However, if production was off-shored at a cost of jobs in the original country then clearly there is something wrong - every job loss impacts a household/family. It also has a wider impact on the supply chain in the original country. Add in that, in some countries, regulations are not so stringent on environmental impact or use of toxins in paint etc. From a business perspective, companies often go from building to order to having to order X number of units from the 3rd party supplier - this often results in heavy discounts to shift stock which can impact residual values.

Finally, I always wonder about future parts availability for repairs - I tend to be of the opinion that if a ā€˜manufacturer’ made things in their own factory on home soil then the chances are that they will have stocks of parts for longer than had they subcontracted manufacture to a 3rd party factory - there is a reason that companies such as Sugden can still service/repair their historic product line. Clearly if they have their own factory in another country then they have more control of stock and hopefully environmental impact etc.

I will clarify that, from what I understand, Naim’s expansion to Slovakia does not risk any of the above because it is additional production in a European country with presumably tight control over all processes.

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As a primary teacher we are always on the lookout for the tell-tale itching! It’s an occupational hazardšŸ™„.

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