Does Mr Dyson suck ?

[Guest]

Or as a recent radio programme stated would you still buy the 'Dyson Jobless 800' ?

Nothing to do with sailing I admit but we do make cars in the UK and an American firm moves here to make and sell sailing cruisers so what's up ?

 

[JeremyF]

£8 ph vs £1 ph....thats the difference. Although its easier to hire and fire in UK compared to the rest of EU, its still expensive compared to the rest of the world. Manufacturing is dead in UK, and the sooner we recognise this, and move to real value-added business, the better

Jeremy Flynn

www.yacht-goldeneye.co.uk

 

[Guest]

Tsk! Tsk! You really shouldn't criticise manufacturers or suppliers. You are therefore charged with ruffling feathers of those who enjoy a sucking sensatoin and for naming names - this will simply not do. How do you plead?

 

[david_e]

Be nice if he stayed, and I'll bet he didn't take the decision lightly, overall (IMHO) he is a great example of one of our nations true qualities: ingenuity and design. There will be benefits to the UK in that his overall earnings worldwide should increase which in turn generates revenue for one of less admirable features - Politicians - to squander, as they do, nomatter which party!

 

[tcm]

great example of making some money. Not sure bout the designs - seethru vaccy cleaners look horrid after the first go, and megamega sucking means no carpet sooner. Dishwasher for a grand seems bit toppy. Vaccy cleaners lkikewise toppy, but most peeps don't realise that the others cost 80 quid, not 299

 

[paulineb]

Kirby

Kirby make the best cleaner by far. It costs about £800 but you really do have to buy it only once. Whereas I am currently using my 8th cleaner - purple Dyson.

Pxx

 

[david_e]

Ours has been good overall, few faults but after sales service is excellent. Sucking power - OK, what I like best is that it is light (DC03) and doesn't pong. Agree about the washer, v. pricey.

 

[Guest]

Guilty as charged m\'lud

You taught me all I know Humpy !

I think that many people will feel a little let down though. He was most unusual in turning a good idea into something that was actually made in the Uk and not hived off by someone else and made elsewhere.And we liked it ! and deservedly he made a pile of dosh and was inspirational to others.

But what about the 800 people who have lost the jobs ? His future earning power will probably go elsewhere ( he has shareholders and a board now), while the UK have to pick up the pieces in both human and monetary terms.

Whilst cruising somewhere I went ashore looking for a cash machine. I came across a supermarket and asked a fifty something bloke collecting trolleys. He was dressed in a red waistcoat and red bowtie. After chatting to him it turned out that he had sailed for most of his life and owned a 31 foot Moody. A qualified engineer, he had tried to get decent work for three years but was down to this to keep sailing. He accepted his lot very well though. If you get out and about you meet people like this all the time now. Early retirement is now becoming a thing of the past so who is going to keep us all ?

 

[Guest]

Re: Guilty as charged m\'lud

You're 100% right, and I believe your concerns are bang on. It's a stupid move in many respects, probably conjured by some consultant, but always the same result: worry about short term gain and screw the people who are the company.

As to the supermarket event, it's not as unusual as some may think. What's the choice for people who go off and live their dream in their late 40's / earl 50's who (at the end of their 7 year crise) find they need work to continue to live? It's why I must continue working for much longer, just hope I still have my health when I do risk it all and go sailing.

BTW I have two Jobless 800's ...

 

[Guest]

Re: Guilty as charged m\'lud

dysons decision is perfectly rational, since his uk customers mostly couldnt care a damn where a product is made.

not the same situation in france, where french people try to buy french made products. the result is there for all to see in french shops - even minor bits and pieces that are always chinese origin over here are domestic over there.

the result for us is a continuing major balance of payments deficit which will blow up into a currency crisis at some point in time.

 

[Bergman]

Someone once told me the only ways to create wealth were mining and conquest.

We did the conquest bit and then closed it down and now the mines are almost gone.

What exactly do you add value to

 

[stiknstring]

Re: Guilty as charged m\'lud

Humperdink,

What a disappointing comment from you! Usually we get informed comment from you. I live in Malmesbury and have seen the exceptional amount of investment Dyson put into the factory and the investments he was encouraged to make in the local economy (including new road systems in the town, improvements to the local school etc etc). He also employs 2,000 people in this small Wiltshire town which has transformed the overrall wealth of the local community.

What few people and the media have chosen to comment on is his desire three years ago to further expand his facility (which by the way is on the edge of the town and hidden behind a great deal of expensive landscaping). Instead of being met by support from the council, he was personally criticised for his plans and his motivation - and said at the time that if he was not to be allowed to expand, he would have to look elsewhere to cope with the demands of the market. The council's attitude was aggressively unhelpful - fuelled no doubt by jealousy that he was personally making so much money. Inevitably, he was approached by commercial representatives from the Far East - that's what the commercial attache's in the Embassies are about after all- and invited to look at other opportunities. At the time he said, and frankly I believe him - that he would prefer to keep all the manufacturing under the one roof in Malmesbury, but the council response was still unhelpful. The genie having been let out of the lamp, Dyson began to look in earnest at the Far East and in the face of continuing hostility from the council (yes - still being accused of holding a gun to their heads) - he at last made his decision to move the manufacturing to an area where he can expect little resistance to expansion.

There were many at the time who could see this coming - only the council's small minded minions were determined to ignore it and make their point. Unfortunately, the town and 800 of it's inhabitants -actually alot of these live away from Malmesbury- are the ones to suffer.

Far from the evil mill-owner type that you infer, Dyson was well known for the high rates of pay on the shop floor and the very pleasant working conditions on the shop floor and generally at the factory. If you tell a company it cannot expand in the face of worldwide demand, what do you expect it to do?

Malmesbury was given a unique opportunity - the council blew it!

 

[ParaHandy]

Re: Guilty as charged m\'lud

Most councils in the South look upon manufacturing as undesirable (you make things??) - much prefer "clean" offices with IT etc. So Gloucester's attitude may not be unusual and should not have been that much of a problem partic as Mr Blair offered "help", I understand.

There was a picture of Dyson standing at one end of his assembly line with 30 odd bods in the background screwing bits onto passing vac cleaners. On seeing that picture, I thought he'd already gone to the far east. Not that much sign of any investment?

 

[steve_cronin]

We aren\'t allowed to be patriotic ....

...it isn't British and you will get called xenophobic!


BTW, want to buy a Dyson?

My step-mother used hers once & declared it too heavy and noisey. Prefers her new AEG. Light as a feather and only makes a whisper.

The "Bagless" concept is over-rated IMHO. "King's suit of clothes" thing?

I could really believe the NIMBYness of the local authority referred to by a previous contributor

Steve Cronin

 

[Guest]

Re: Guilty as charged m\'lud

You're right - he's a good and very talented guy. Pity he couldn't have figured a way to maybe open a site in another part of the UK too.

When a company moves production to the far east then everyone loses. But modern manufacturing is like that, isn't it? I work in software and that's nice and clean - just a bunch of pc and tech-heads - but even software companies are subcontracting to India etc.

Still, despite the local council, I would have imagined there were UK alternatives if he had really wanted to exercise them.

I feel sory for the local who will lose their jobs.