China - infrastructure issues
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Discussion

Digga

Original Poster:

48,483 posts

313 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
We've already touched on the pace of infrastructure development in China and also how some of it ain't what it ought to be - toppling tower blocks etc. - but the problems they face are huge.

i;ve just found out why our stocks of (Chinese sourced) castings have been depleted recently: http://www.whatsonningbo.com/news-3344-china-s-pow...

Staggering. Suppliers tell us that in the Ningbo area, they have been so baldy restricted that some plants have been temporarily mothballed.

This has all sorts of implications; UK balance of payments, commodities prices, potential for growth (or not) in China....

manic47

737 posts

195 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
I know my wifes company are building the 4 new AP1000 reactors in China at present - I think the Chinese were intending building a couple of hundred over the next decade.

jbi

12,700 posts

234 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
10% annual growth for the best part of 25 years tends to put huge demands on infrastructure and energy supplies.

Been opening 1 coal fired plant a week for years and its still not enough

powerstroke

10,283 posts

190 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
Digga said:
We've already touched on the pace of infrastructure development in China and also how some of it ain't what it ought to be - toppling tower blocks etc. - but the problems they face are huge.

i;ve just found out why our stocks of (Chinese sourced) castings have been depleted recently: http://www.whatsonningbo.com/news-3344-china-s-pow...

Staggering. Suppliers tell us that in the Ningbo area, they have been so baldy restricted that some plants have been temporarily mothballed.

This has all sorts of implications; UK balance of payments, commodities prices, potential for growth (or not) in China....
sounds like quite good news. but maybe we shouldent get too excited
as so far the chinese economy has been an unstopable monster!! maybe it will slow us exporting our jobs and manufacturing and we will be able to pick up something electrical or a garment thats not been made in china in the near future I guess we can live in hope..

maser_spyder

6,356 posts

212 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
I've been banging on about this for ages when everybody says the Far East wastes resources, but nobody ever believes me.

It's really not uncommon for an official to come in and close your factory down because there's not enough power to run it, it's been happening for years. They really are quite careful with electric, turning lights off, using low energy, etc.

Gloat all you like though, it'll cause some issues over here in one way or another!

anonymous-user

84 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
maser_spyder said:
Gloat all you like though, it'll cause some issues over here in one way or another!
Already is as far as my sector is concerned, many items seem to have massive lead times now....+ add in the slow boat..........

maser_spyder

6,356 posts

212 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
Dave_ST220 said:
maser_spyder said:
Gloat all you like though, it'll cause some issues over here in one way or another!
Already is as far as my sector is concerned, many items seem to have massive lead times now....+ add in the slow boat..........
That's more because of the labour shortage though, and increased demand. The power issue is actually way down the line of problems currently being faced in China manufacturing.

groak

3,254 posts

209 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
Dave_ST220 said:
Already is as far as my sector is concerned, many items seem to have massive lead times now....+ add in the slow boat..........
Funny you should say that. I'm sitting waiting and waiting and WAITING for construction stuff via a very reliable supplier who's blamed this very same slow boat. At a certain point I phoned their competitor who supplies the same stuff only to have the slow boat story confirmed. Sick of it, tbh. If it's an ongoing saga they'll soon discover how little price matters. Of course delays eventually translate into cost. So any price advantage is probably gone anyway.

Digga

Original Poster:

48,483 posts

313 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
groak said:
So any price advantage is probably gone anyway.
Meantime factories outside China have gone out of business because of the agressive, up-front prices...

We've found factories there are getting 'lazier'. Aside from the constant chiseling on deals - prices, payment terms, minimum order quants, minimum batch quants et.c et.c - for which they are reknowned, there is a general reduction in their utility.

carreauchompeur

18,331 posts

234 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
Interesting stuff...

munroman

1,908 posts

214 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
A friend (Chinese national), owns a couple of factories in China.

He has been telling me for years that the whole thing is a deck of cards, and he has been losing competitiveness to places like Vietnam, but also, as freight costs and shipping times have increased, (slow boat = massive fuel saving),also to the client's own country's manufacturers.

As people become wealthier, they don't want to work for $70 a month and something has to give.

Also, the Cultural Revolution got rid of a whole generation of leaders and managers, so they are very short of management talent as they didn't have role models.
Add in the cut throat practices (how many production orders are as good as the samples?), and there is another reason not to buy Chinese.

Add in the impending boom in micro-manufacture and it is a very volatile situation, and could go wrong very quickly.

OdramaSwimLaden

1,971 posts

199 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
jbi said:
Been opening 1 coal fired plant a week for years and its still not enough
I heard this and find it a staggering figure.

.......we're being taxed to drive into London daily and the Chinese are pressing on, raping the planet, dealing with all the despots and disregarding any type of H&S and pollution targets. No fking wonder these s are taking over the planet.

maser_spyder

6,356 posts

212 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
OdramaSwimLaden said:
jbi said:
Been opening 1 coal fired plant a week for years and its still not enough
I heard this and find it a staggering figure.

.......we're being taxed to drive into London daily and the Chinese are pressing on, raping the planet, dealing with all the despots and disregarding any type of H&S and pollution targets. No fking wonder these s are taking over the planet.
rolleyes

What did I say earlier?

Never been to China, knows nothing of the culture, nothing about Chinese business practice, but has read the Daily Mail.

OdramaSwimLaden

1,971 posts

199 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
maser_spyder said:
OdramaSwimLaden said:
jbi said:
Been opening 1 coal fired plant a week for years and its still not enough
I heard this and find it a staggering figure.

.......we're being taxed to drive into London daily and the Chinese are pressing on, raping the planet, dealing with all the despots and disregarding any type of H&S and pollution targets. No fking wonder these s are taking over the planet.
rolleyes

What did I say earlier?

Never been to China, knows nothing of the culture, nothing about Chinese business practice, but has read the Daily Mail.
I was speaking about the Chinese in Africa.

I've been to Africa lots.....and will be going lots more in the next 12 months. Angola, DRC and Nigeria mainly though.

They have taken over from the Western economies and are destroying the place on a truely massive and long term way. They are doing things in Africa that no other civilised country would dare to do in their quest for raw materials.

In one Gold mine in Angola (my business partner's friend)they have an open pit for the waste products (inc Cyanide) which instead of pumping and cleaning it, they would just let it sink into the ground (Tonnes and Tonnes of the stuff daily). They payed the pollution tax though but it was truely shocking and unbelievable it was a practice that was still going on.

I stand by my comments. China has a lot to answer for pollution wise and in the coming years whilst the West tries to cut, the Chinese have themselves predicted a net pollution increase in China and with overseas Chinese interests.

In the last 30 years when it's come to our minds, the Chinese are the ones who just don't care about pollution levels. Communism will only triumph over capitalism in the next few years if the Chinese / Asian economies continue to stick their fingers up at the environment.

Minor rant over......

powerstroke

10,283 posts

190 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
OdramaSwimLaden said:
maser_spyder said:
OdramaSwimLaden said:
jbi said:
Been opening 1 coal fired plant a week for years and its still not enough
I heard this and find it a staggering figure.

.......we're being taxed to drive into London daily and the Chinese are pressing on, raping the planet, dealing with all the despots and disregarding any type of H&S and pollution targets. No fking wonder these s are taking over the planet.
rolleyes

What did I say earlier?

Never been to China, knows nothing of the culture, nothing about Chinese business practice, but has read the Daily Mail.
I was speaking about the Chinese in Africa.

I've been to Africa lots.....and will be going lots more in the next 12 months. Angola, DRC and Nigeria mainly though.

They have taken over from the Western economies and are destroying the place on a truely massive and long term way. They are doing things in Africa that no other civilised country would dare to do in their quest for raw materials.

In one Gold mine in Angola (my business partner's friend)they have an open pit for the waste products (inc Cyanide) which instead of pumping and cleaning it, they would just let it sink into the ground (Tonnes and Tonnes of the stuff daily). They payed the pollution tax though but it was truely shocking and unbelievable it was a practice that was still going on.

I stand by my comments. China has a lot to answer for pollution wise and in the coming years whilst the West tries to cut, the Chinese have themselves predicted a net pollution increase in China and with overseas Chinese interests.

In the last 30 years when it's come to our minds, the Chinese are the ones who just don't care about pollution levels. Communism will only triumph over capitalism in the next few years if the Chinese / Asian economies continue to stick their fingers up at the environment.

Minor rant over......
Oh but take heart in our goverment setting a good example with the climate eco BSbanghead

vonuber

17,868 posts

195 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
powerstroke said:
Oh but take heart in our goverment setting a good example with the climate eco BSbanghead
What like not dumping toxic substances in rivers, reducing flood risk etc?

maser_spyder

6,356 posts

212 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
OdramaSwimLaden said:
maser_spyder said:
OdramaSwimLaden said:
jbi said:
Been opening 1 coal fired plant a week for years and its still not enough
I heard this and find it a staggering figure.

.......we're being taxed to drive into London daily and the Chinese are pressing on, raping the planet, dealing with all the despots and disregarding any type of H&S and pollution targets. No fking wonder these s are taking over the planet.
rolleyes

What did I say earlier?

Never been to China, knows nothing of the culture, nothing about Chinese business practice, but has read the Daily Mail.
I was speaking about the Chinese in Africa.

I've been to Africa lots.....and will be going lots more in the next 12 months. Angola, DRC and Nigeria mainly though.

They have taken over from the Western economies and are destroying the place on a truely massive and long term way. They are doing things in Africa that no other civilised country would dare to do in their quest for raw materials.

In one Gold mine in Angola (my business partner's friend)they have an open pit for the waste products (inc Cyanide) which instead of pumping and cleaning it, they would just let it sink into the ground (Tonnes and Tonnes of the stuff daily). They payed the pollution tax though but it was truely shocking and unbelievable it was a practice that was still going on.

I stand by my comments. China has a lot to answer for pollution wise and in the coming years whilst the West tries to cut, the Chinese have themselves predicted a net pollution increase in China and with overseas Chinese interests.

In the last 30 years when it's come to our minds, the Chinese are the ones who just don't care about pollution levels. Communism will only triumph over capitalism in the next few years if the Chinese / Asian economies continue to stick their fingers up at the environment.

Minor rant over......
And I stand by my comments. You may have been to africe, but what's that got to do with it? I've been to America. And Europe.

"Never been to China, knows nothing of the culture, nothing about Chinese business practice"

I won't pass judgement on Africa, because I know little about it, and have never been. And it would make me look like a moron to guess and hypothesise with vitriol.

zollburgers

1,285 posts

213 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
maser_spyder said:
You may have experience with Chinese business practice and culture, which I really wasn't expecting, but so what, what's that got to do with it?
EFA

maser_spyder

6,356 posts

212 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
zollburgers said:
maser_spyder said:
You may have experience with Chinese business practice and culture, which I really wasn't expecting, but so what, what's that got to do with it?
EFA
Hardly. He's talking about Chinese people in Africa.

It's hardly the same as knowing about what Chinese people do in their own country.

OdramaSwimLaden

1,971 posts

199 months

Wednesday 31st August 2011
quotequote all
maser_spyder said:
OdramaSwimLaden said:
maser_spyder said:
OdramaSwimLaden said:
jbi said:
Been opening 1 coal fired plant a week for years and its still not enough
I heard this and find it a staggering figure.

.......we're being taxed to drive into London daily and the Chinese are pressing on, raping the planet, dealing with all the despots and disregarding any type of H&S and pollution targets. No fking wonder these s are taking over the planet.
rolleyes

What did I say earlier?

Never been to China, knows nothing of the culture, nothing about Chinese business practice, but has read the Daily Mail.
I was speaking about the Chinese in Africa.

I've been to Africa lots.....and will be going lots more in the next 12 months. Angola, DRC and Nigeria mainly though.

They have taken over from the Western economies and are destroying the place on a truely massive and long term way. They are doing things in Africa that no other civilised country would dare to do in their quest for raw materials.

In one Gold mine in Angola (my business partner's friend)they have an open pit for the waste products (inc Cyanide) which instead of pumping and cleaning it, they would just let it sink into the ground (Tonnes and Tonnes of the stuff daily). They payed the pollution tax though but it was truely shocking and unbelievable it was a practice that was still going on.

I stand by my comments. China has a lot to answer for pollution wise and in the coming years whilst the West tries to cut, the Chinese have themselves predicted a net pollution increase in China and with overseas Chinese interests.

In the last 30 years when it's come to our minds, the Chinese are the ones who just don't care about pollution levels. Communism will only triumph over capitalism in the next few years if the Chinese / Asian economies continue to stick their fingers up at the environment.

Minor rant over......
You may have been to africe, .
No I haven't; where is this strange and wonderfully exotic place! I'd like to go one day..... smile