Tubbs Snowshoes Leaves VT For China

[thetrailboss]

I saw this article today on First Tracks. What a real downer to see an American Company go overseas. I own Redfeather Snowshoes, which were made in Leadville, Colorado. Having the "Made in the USA" label is important to me. Question is, what is there left that is made in the US now that Tubbs and even Carhartt are gone?

My prayers go out to those families who have lost jobs

Stowe snowshoe manufacturing headed to China

September 9, 2004

Associated Press

STOWE — The Tubbs snowshoes manufacturing operation will be moving to China next year, eliminating between 60 and 70 full- and part-time jobs in Vermont, a former company official said.

Tubbs' parent company, K2 Inc., is expected to close the Stowe facility in February. In April administrative jobs in Vermont will also be eliminated or transferred to Washington state, where K2's winter sports group is based.

A total of 27 full-time and 30 to 40 seasonal jobs will be lost as a result of the move, said Ed Kiniry, the former chief executive officer of WinterQuest LLC, which sold Tubbs in October. Kiniry has stayed on under contract until October 2006.

Five or six jobs in marketing, sales and product development will remain in Vermont, he said.

The company's move out of Vermont was inevitable, Kiniry said.

"Tubbs was finding that one of the growing competitors was a China manufactured product that retailers were getting more margin on. It clearly was going to happen. We couldn't put our head in the sand," he said.

Tubbs started as a snowshoe and ski company in Norway, Maine, in 1840 when William Tubbs mastered steam bending ash. He made snowshoes that went to both world wars and up Mount Everest.

Tubbs joins a growing list of brands with a strong Vermont identity that have left the state.

Mad River Canoe, which was based in Waitsfield, left for North Carolina in 2001 after the company merged with one based there. A major portion of Jogbra, which was founded in Vermont, also went to North Carolina in 2001 when Champion Activewear decided to move distribution and administration to that state.

The Ethan Allen Interiors furniture plant in Island Pond closed during the same year and a second plant in Randolph closed in 2002.

Kiniry said the company is offering a generous severance package along with helping former employees find other jobs.

K2 is in the process of expanding its manufacturing plant in China to 2 million square feet and 10,000 employees. About 60 percent of the company's products are made there, Mendenhall said.

Based in Carlsbad, Calif., K2 owns more than 35 brands ranging from Shakespeare fishing and Rawlings sporting goods to Ride snowboards and K2 skis. The company does $1.3 billion in annual sales, Mendenhall said.

[uphillklimber]

Hmmmm.... My understanding of things is that K-2 is the last American ski manufacturer. They finally had to go overseas, everybody else had, or cease to exist as a viable company. Now it is happening with snowshoes too....

I like American Made. Back in the 80's American vehicles were junk, compared to Japanese brands. I had to stretch my dollar as far as it would go. I am not independantly wealthy. About that time, I caught something on the news about the Detroit auto workers. I do not remember the exact numbers, but they were making an obscene amount of money, in the neighborhood of $30.00 per hour, in the eighties, mind you. This while I was making $9.00 an hour. Then the news show went on to show what this "skilled worker" did to justify his $30.00 an hour. When a crane assembly held the car door to the frame, he inserted the screws to hold it in place..... No wonder cars cost so much and had so few affordable features.

After seeing that show, I was pretty much done with the idea I "had" to buy American. I could get a better vehicle for less money from Japan, even after a duty being assigned to the vehicles. It used to be that Americans built it better, faster, more economically than anyone else. Now, it seems we build them better, but also at a premium. I recognize that we can't compete against those who will work for peanuts and fish head soup. But there has to be an area where we can compete, somehow.

It is unfortunate, but I have to get best value for my dollar. All things being equal, I'll buy American, I prefer to do so on many items. Same as I'll frequent the local plant nursesies, as opposed to Walmart.

Back to Tubbs. We have 3 pair of their snow shoes, and I like their service when I have had issues. I am saddened that the employees will be joining the ranks of the unemployed. Are there no options for these employees, or serverance packages?

I am torn. There is the patriot in me, wanting America to economicly strong. Then there is the consumer in me, trying to get best value for my dollar. It truly is a sad conundrum.

[skijay]

That sucks! I take pride in my made in USA snowshoes.

[pedxing]

I wouldn't feel as bad about it if the pay and working conditions in China were decent and businesses had to operate by more responsible standards.

I just did a little research on this... it's part of a K-2 pattern:

"January 16, 2004

Vashon Island, Wash. (Ski Press)-K2 Inc. announced plans to discontinue manufacturing and distributing snowshoes from its Grand Junction, Colorado facility effective end of March, 2004. This facility is one of two U.S. plants that manufactures and distributes snowshoes for the recently acquired Atlas Snow-shoes, Tubbs Snowshoes and Little Bear brands....

K2 will continue to domestically manufacture snowshoes in the U.S. at the company’s facility in Stowe VT, where most of the Tubbs brand’s products are produced. An east coast distribution center will be maintained in Vermont. There will be no additional consolidation decisions made until after K2 has had an opportunity to evaluate the effect of the changes now being implemented.

Over the past two years K2 has successfully transitioned a number of products from various U.S. manufacturing locations to China and has seen not only cost reductions but quality improvements as well. K2’s resources at the 1.3 million sq. ft. factory are fully integrated and include engineering, injection molding, tooling, product graphics, and quality control. "

The whole article is at:
http://www.skipressworld.com/us/en/d...ml?cat=Finance

[uphillklimber]

Pedxing, this whole thing just saddens me. Since you've done some research, can you boil it down for me?

K-2 has bought out several companies of late. Seems they bought a ski manufacturer, a ski binding manufacturer, and now, I hear they bought out Atlas Snow-shoes, Tubbs Snowshoes and Little Bear brands. Wow, I mean it's like they are buying up everything and everyone. (It is pretty common for a ski maker to team up with a binding maker and sell as a matched package, but it seems like these guys are "teaming up" with every one and everything).

It appears they are buying and transferring to China. They used to advertise with pride about being made in America, when they were about the last ski manufacturer doing so. (Perhaps that was just a winning advertising campaign at a fortuitous moment in the evolution of the industry???) Does it appear they are buying too much too fast??? Do they have a good management team to keep "it" viable with all the aquisitions? (Obviously, I'm thinking about American Ski Company, who invested a ton, I mean a ton, of money and ran up debt, and there are all kinds of rumors of the demise of ASC). Does K-2 have a company statement on it's future overseas and domesticly? What is the reality of their actions?

I guess, in my case, I would hate to see the demise of these well respected name brands. And once again, I am curious....