Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]According to OECD guidelines a "Made in Germany" stamp requires that 60% of the product's value-added (including marketing, r&d, management overheads) is from Germany. Same for Canada. So I believe Leica has organised the making of the M6 in a way that this 60% threshold is maintained. In general I would say that "Made in Germany" has lost the magic it earned since the late 19th century and until the early post-war era. In the good old days, the big names of the German industry had a loyal labour force with good salaries, generous fringe benefits and pension schemes. Quality targets determined cost and prices. Today the same German companies own factories abroad, outsource to local and foreign subcontractors, cut benefits and pension schemes to compete wuth international cost. Marketing determines prices, production cost have to follow. Compare a current Mercedes A with a current Skoda you see what I mean. But in the good old days only a minority in Germany, like in Portugal today, could afford a new Volkswagen, even less a Mercedes or Leica. After all I would say a Leica "Made in Portugal" has lost less subjective built quality against a 1950s M3 than a current Mercedes "Made in Stuttgart" against a 1980s Mercedes. Hans-Peter