This video, shot in a factory somewhere in China, shows a multiple- ton press making what appears to be metal pan-inserts one might find in a buffet-chafing dish. What you are watching is workers sitting in the press itself, in between the form punches & dies, moving the parts by hand in progression from start to finish. The press appears to be the type with the big counterweight wheel as opposed to hydraulic.
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Anyone even remotely familiar with industrial settings here in America knows that what you see– people sitting within a machine such as a press– isn’t in the least bit safe, nor legal. And, rightfully so. A press with the counterweight wheel cannot be quickly stopped, nor can it be retracted in the event of an emergency, like if the worker’s hand got caught in the pan. Hydraulic machines, the chosen method here, can be easily reversed and withdrawn. Additionally, most shops found here and in other free countries use very expensive automated progression type die machines that eliminate the need for people to move stuff through dangerous portions of the works.
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If the Youtube above had been shot at a factory here in the United States, you can be sure that the owner’s face would quickly appear on wanted posters in Post Offices all around the country. Geraldo would report in front of the offending place, tears flowing, on the cruel treatment of such hapless examples of downtrodden humanity. Public outrage would be the order of the day– again, rightfully so. In today’s world, there is no reason for people to have to work in such conditions. Safety for workers is the top order of the day throughout today’s business world, excepting places like China, of course.
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It would be a safe bet that the Chinese factory shown would no more comply with America’s environmental laws than it does the employment safety rules. This is the number one issue that I have with competing with China in the arena of manufactured products. Not that I want the safety or environmental rules to go away, mind you. No, I just want the playing field to be fair.
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This will undoubtedly be one of the many topics that will get discussed this evening at the "Keep it Made in America" town hall style meeting tonight at the Palace Theater in Manchester (6:30PM) hosted by John Ratzenberger. If you cannot attend the free event, check back here at the ‘Grok as we’ll be liveblogging from the scene. Watching the "arsenal of Democracy" playing such a critical role in the path towards winning the war in the Ken Burns WW2 film this week and thinking about the state of things today really makes one wonder what would happen if we needed to do it again– would it be possible before it was too late?