Do companies have to mark where their products are made?

[CaptainPugwash]

I thought they did, and take an interest in this information.
But i've bought a small 'Kennedy' branded pipe bender, which I would have guessed would be made in the far east. There's no markings on the bender itself, and the packaging just says 'Kennedy tools, Wigston, England', I would be surprised if they're made there especially considering the lack of markings on the product itself.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Not in the EU or the UK, unless it has changed very recently.
But I believe they now do have to in the U.S as part of their import shakeup.

I find RS is quite good for marking the Country of Origin on their web site for a lot of the products they sell.

The bender won't be made here, Kennedy is the house brand for Zoro/Cromwell/Grainger, and they source from a number of different suppliers and just brand it Kennedy.

Those types of small hand benders are sold by a lot of different brands and will all be made in the far east.
If you want a British made one you would have to hunt out something like an old Record 210 or 211, but it will have to be an old one as the new "Irwin Record" ones are now exactly the same as all the rest and made offshore.

 

[roofman]

I thought they did, and take an interest in this information.
But i've bought a small 'Kennedy' branded pipe bender, which I would have guessed would be made in the far east. There's no markings on the bender itself, and the packaging just says 'Kennedy tools, Wigston, England', I would be surprised if they're made there especially considering the lack of markings on the product itself.

That name and address is a distribution warehouse of imported goods...tells you everything right there about the place of origin.

 

[bricol]

I'd really like to do the equivalent of what a lot if US companies do with their components and their country - put in capital letters, alongside part numbers, "MADE IN ENGLAND"

In fact, I'm going to mention it again tomorrow in a review meeting.

 

[addjunkie]

I'd really like to do the equivalent of what a lot if US companies do with their components and their country - put in capital letters, alongside part numbers, "MADE IN ENGLAND"

In fact, I'm going to mention it again tomorrow in a review meeting.

Theres a bit more too it than that. In the USA there only needs to be a certain % of parts made and or assembled in country to put Made in the USA. Look at new Harleys for example.

 

[Nomad]

I don't know the rules but some budget handtools (Erbauer comes to mind) are heavily marked as "Designed in Germany". I think when you dig deeper they are made in China but that's not publicised.

A long time ago I worked for Pioneer (Hifi manufacturers) in Yorkshire. They sold plasma TVs marked as made in UK but imported the big bits (screen, circuit boards, cases) from their HQ in Japan and just assembled them here. I'm sure it was all 100% above board but if felt "off"

 

[MetalMonkey]

I'd really like to do the equivalent of what a lot if US companies do with their components and their country - put in capital letters, alongside part numbers, "MADE IN ENGLAND"

I suppose we would have to actually start making some stuff first though

 

[roofman]

I suppose we would have to actually start making some stuff first though

We do make stuff.. coffee, Turkish haircuts, kebabs, fried chicken

 

[Jack Ryan]

I think "Made in the USA" and "USA" mean more than just a percentage. From the US Federal Trade Commission:

What is the standard for a product to be called Made in USA without qualification?
For a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limits on the claim, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. The term "United States," as referred to in the Enforcement Policy Statement, includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and possessions.

What does "all or virtually all" mean?
"All or virtually all" means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content.

There are also regulations governing the COO of imported goods.

Other statements like "Designed in the USA" and "Designed for US Conditions" usually mean "Made somewhere in the far east".

The next question is "does it matter?"

In my opinion:
For local employment - yes.
To retain local expertise - yes.
For export income - yes.

and there are lots of other good outcomes.

Does it matter from a quality point of view? Probably not, that is down to what was specified by the importer.

Jack

 

[bricol]

Theres a bit more too it than that. In the USA there only needs to be a certain % of parts made and or assembled in country to put Made in the USA. Look at new Harleys for example.

I see it on individual components of competitors machines - perfectly true for individual fabricated/machined components - then assembled into a full machine in the US, or some of the time, here in England.

 

[bricol]

I suppose we would have to actually start making some stuff first though

We do. Millions of pounds, and many tonnes, of machinery for worldwide export.

And as much as it annoys me to say so, so does our closest competitor.

Drive past either of our facilities and you wouldn't have a clue though.

 

[bricol]

I think "Made in the USA" and "USA" mean more than just a percentage. From the US Federal Trade Commission:



There are also regulations governing the COO of imported goods.

Other statements like "Designed in the USA" and "Designed for US Conditions" usually mean "Made somewhere in the far east".

The next question is "does it matter?"

In my opinion:
For local employment - yes.
To retain local expertise - yes.
For export income - yes.

and there are lots of other good outcomes.

Does it matter from a quality point of view? Probably not, that is down to what was specified by the importer.

Jack

I read it as showing some pride in what you made and where you made it.

 

[8ob]

The best we could hope for is "assembled in Britain", anything made here is going to combine parts supplied from just about everywhere other than here. Flat pack cars, machines, tractors and just about anything

Bob

 

[My Old Landy]

Discover the home for British manufacturing - Made in Britain

Made in Britain supports and promotes British manufacturing, enabling buyers and consumers at home and abroad to identify British-made products.

www.madeinbritain.org

This organisation allows a percentage of foreign parts with the majority actually made here to carry their logo.
My DX Commander aerial carries it as the pole is the only part not made here. Even the wire is manufactured in the UK

 

[pressbrake1]

I export most of my stuff
I don’t need to mark anything though I do because it’s all part of the products appeal
I just have to make legal declaration on the commercial invoice of product origin

 

[pressbrake1]

Discover the home for British manufacturing - Made in Britain

Made in Britain supports and promotes British manufacturing, enabling buyers and consumers at home and abroad to identify British-made products.

www.madeinbritain.org

This organisation allows a percentage of foreign parts with the majority actually made here to carry their logo.
My DX Commander aerial carries it as the pole is the only part not made here. Even the wire is manufactured in the UK

I started to apply until I got to the section where you’ve got to pay up front before you find out if the application was successful!
Then common sense told me £180 of electric is more useful than use of a trademark

 

[Agroshield]

...put in capital letters, alongside part numbers, "MADE IN ENGLAND"

Will that not simply delete all sales to Scotland and France?

 

[ajlelectronics]

A long time ago I worked for Pioneer (Hifi manufacturers) in Yorkshire. They sold plasma TVs marked as made in UK but imported the big bits (screen, circuit boards, cases) from their HQ in Japan and just assembled them here. I'm sure it was all 100% above board but if felt "off"

Cello do that. They claim that their sets are made in the UK but what they actually mean is "Assembled in England from kits supplied by Vestel in Turkey, which makes them the same junk as every other Vestel clone on the market.

 

[cocker]

Will that not simply delete all sales to Scotland and France?

AND ?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

No they don't.

I think they have to show they comply to BS or Eu regulations.

One electronic company I know assemble some sub assembly on site from over sea components.

But say they are UK made.