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Outsourcing overseas

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dougr

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I've recently been exposed to the practice of some companies outsourcing drafting work overseas - India in particular.



Maybe it's time to become more guarded in the information exchanged on this site - jobs are at stake...
 
Is it only me that finds this extremely disturbing? I thought the point of this site was to provide help and information for proe users regardless of race, age or gender.



I understand you concerns about job security, but surely this is a step too far?



Lesley
 
I think there needs to be open discussion about why jobs are leaving this country. America cannot afford to loose too many more jobs to overseas companies. While I don't think this forum is the place to FIX the problem, I do agree with Doug. Maybe we should be a little more diligent about what information is given out.



Steve C
 
Ok - I live in the UK, the company I work for exports parts to the US and other countries (presumably taking work away from existing companies). Does this now mean no help will come my way from Proecentral members based countries other than England?



Outsourcing happens - most of our call centres are now based in India because they are cheaper. As customers are demanding x% cuts in prices year on year, companies have to look to cheaper alternatives to keep the costs down. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but it happens. What choice do companies have if they want to stay in business?



Lesley
 
Yes this site maybe based in the USA but I didn't notice any Americans Only notices on this site. Surely one of the great things about the internet is its lack of restriction across boundaries and the point of this site is to forward the Pro/Engineer industry.



Why are you not concerned about helping competitors on your doorstep, who are likely to be a much greater immediate threat, while you are worried about foreign nationals taking advantage of the fact that they are prepared to sustain a lower quality of life and lower wage? In the UK we know the problems of loosing industries overseas as much as anyone, and yes countries need to make efforts to slow the leakage of jobs, but please, do this locally, not on a website with an international audience.



Further to this, one of the best ways to retain jobs, and something the British industry was and still is often particularly slow to learn, is to adapt and evolve. It is a simplistic answer but, if someone else can do it cheaper, then do it better.



Sam
 
Sorry didn't mean to affend anybody. This is not the forum to FIX any outsourcing problems. I need this site for my education of Pro/E and, while I agree we ought to watch what we send out on this site, I'll do everything I can to help out anybody with a question about Pro/E. I'm here to learn, too.



I won't send out any solid models unless I know the person on the other end. I will, however, send out procedures and techniques for 'How To' questions.



Steve C
 
Well, I am one who is in the midst of seeing both their liveliehood and future leaving the country I work in. The company I work for, a Fortune 500 has announced the main product built at the plant I work at, will be slowly moved to another country. Within 3-5 years the plant which supports 4500 workers may be closed and there is not a damn thing anyone can do about it. The economy in this town of 80,000 will be decimated unless another company moves in with more jobs. Our government does not seem to care and is more concerned with war overseas. I pity those who have young children. Seems like if they do not get educated in the medical field, there will be no other work available.



The Engineering field as we know it today will no longer be available here. I corresponded with our overseas Engineering folks today concerning some FEA they are doing for us. Presently there are 16 people in the overseas office, with an additional 7 being added early next year. We are being pushed to send work overseas even though we do not like it. It is on our yearly performance appraisals. The workforce where we are sending work are in the midst of learning. Young and eager to learn, they will master CAD and Engineering within 5 years. Considering they get paid 1/10th what we make here, I don't blame the company attempting to cut operating costs. Everyone else is doing the same, they need to do so also.



We, as workers are helpless, unless our vote can say or do something. It is our government who needs to step up and attempt to do something about the loss of industrial jobs here in the US. I can only wonder how a country can survive with no gross national output. I think the writing is on the wall.
 
Surely one of the great things about the internet is its lack of restriction across boundaries



Tell that to the movie and music industries...
 
Doug,



I couldn't agree more.

In the Uk we are finding more and more asian companies specifically from india are trying to snatch work away.

It's simple, don't give out any info.





Sam,



You need to come into the real world.

It's people in the commercial seats ie DIRECTORS that make decisions about sending work to other countries with cheaper overheads, and not the engineers.

Directors just see figures and not the overall picture.





You baffle me about adapting and evolving, that may be the case in some industries in the UK but not all.



How can you adapt and evolve to reduce costs within an organisation if the government of your country is hiking the cost of living and making it difficult for businesses by introducing ever increasing endless redtape?



This is a fact that no one can deny.



If the cost of living goes up then so must wages. Thats the nature of the beast.
 
Biff,

I agree with you 100%. It is our government making it more expensive to do business here in the US. The bad reality is that it is cheaper to send things overseas. My father and I have patented a new product and are currently trying to get it to market. We have been approached by a future competitor showing interest in going into a partnership with this product and want us to supply drawings so they can send them to Asia to have it quoted for manufacture over there. I hate the idea of this happening and I am trying to prevent it from happening. But if I cannot lower the price of this product enough to make it appealing to consumers then it will not sale. What do you do? Give up your dream of owning a prosperous company or do the daily grind working for a big company knowing you could have it all pulled out from underneath you anyway?
 
Well said, Speling.



Competition is the nature of business.



Sam, you are dead right:



It is a simplistic answer but, if someone else can do it cheaper, then do it better.



Our company is one of the only remaining cold-forming companies in the UK. A lot of work is now sourced in Asia. Conversely, we have just had the largest turnover in the company's history. We have had to adapt to a changing, more competitive market and have done so succesfully - luckily, we have the Directors and management teams in place to do this. We DO do it better: quality, development and customer service - the whole package.



Lesley
 
Unfortunately it comes down to demand.

If people didnt buy cheap, then there would be less of a need to go offshore.

I cant think of a single client that hasnt asked for offshore quotes. That includes car companies, pick any one of them.

Mike
 
Speling:



Although I am addressing my reply to Speling because he brought it up, my answer is to all.



There are a number of issues here. Not the least of which is this. Is the United States a sovereign nation or not? I realize, as a Christian, that we are on the threshold of the one world government, but I would like to see it held off for a few more decades. ( for you non-Christians, please refer to the last book in the Bible)



The second issue is one of our own government. The environmental laws that we have are so restrictive that many companies cannot opperate here. Please understand that I am not advocating the removal of all restrictions! That would be as fool hardy as the extreme we have now. However, there is a middle ground that the wacos do not want to talk about. Case in point, the recent fires in California. It is good that I did not have a house that burned there.



A third issue is one of plain old fashioned greed. Please don't tell me that we cannot make a shirt here in the U.S. and sell it for $30 and not make a REASONABLE profit. Note the word reasonable. Need I say more?



My third point is a major part of what is happening with a lot of the jobs going to India etc. Greed! They were making a profit before. Can they not make a REASONABLE profit now?



I don't want to see salary caps, aka communism, however, multimillion dollar salaries are a bit much.
 
Can someone count answers explicitly from USA?



Forgot to add this previously, USA:



616+334+218+216+206=1590 (57%)



USA, Canada & GB:



616+334+218+216+206+238+221+216=2265 (81.2%)



Elsewhere:



269+255=524 (18.79%)
 
To ALL :

I can empathize with those who have lost work to over seas like I have. I used to own a Tool & Die design firm(Progressive dies mostly, USA) but am now working full time at a manufacturing company, having lost my customers to over seas competition. I have learned Pro-E in the last year hoping to be a valuable employee in the USA for a few more years (I'm 42). I don't hold out much hope of designing tooling for many years to come.



We must use this forum to share our knowledge, that's what education is all about. BUT,



THE GOVERNMENT IS TO BLAME for allowing medium and large companies to move the work off shore. Greed in big business is also to blame.

Our elected officials have been bought off by big business to allow them to take a great portion of United States manufacturing overseas for increased profits, at the expense of the American worker. These same elected officials are now are starting to wonder why our multi-billion dollar defficit is sky rocketing, and where's the tax revenue we had 5 years ago????



We need to change our policy in this country regarding tarriffs. Are these huge cost savings passed on the us comsumers here in the USA?? NO way!!!



We can not hope to compete dollar for dollar with China and India, and then be the world's policeman and benefactor too.

Only with propper checks and ballances (tarriffs) can we hope to compete with these developing countries in a fair way.



Yes, we need to share information, but we need to share work sparingly.



JG
 
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