Poorly made in China
Praise for Poorly Made in China "This fast-paced travelogue through the world of Chinese manufacturing is scary, fascinating, and very funny. Midler is not only a knowledgeable guide to the invisible underbelly of the global economy, he is a sympathetic and astute observer of China, its challenges, and its people. A great read." --PIETRA RIVOLI, author of The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy "Paul Midler takes us for a ride through the fastest-growing economy in the world, revealing what can--and sometimes does--go wrong when U.S. companies shift production to China. Working in the heart of China's export hub, in the country's southern region, he has the advantage of a front-row seat to the no-holds-barred games played between manufacturers and importers. He introduces us to a cast of real-life characters and tells his story with a mix of affection and skepticism for what is taking place in China today. Midler delivers a revealing and often funny tale of life and commerce in a country whose exports touch nearly everyone on the planet." --SARA BONGIORNI, author of A Year Without 'Made in China': One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy
Stats for nerds
15recommend
32mentions
21people
2011–2026years
75% recommend25% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Or not. You just can’t tell. Sometimes they’ll swap materials and build something that is worse using the same blueprints and processes.
“Poorly made in china” was an edifying book to read.
- There is an amazing book called Poorly Made in China, by Paul Midler. The title doesn’t do the book justice imho, but it offers some insights into what can go wrong and why. It was a very recognisable and enjoyable read.
- Yep, there is an interesting book "Poorly made in china" talking about the same thing... not powerbanks but same modus operandi.
For example (hope I didn't mess up the details, it's been some time since I read it), a cosmetics manufacturer vendor replaced shampoo bottles with ones made with less (thinner) plastics multiple times, untill they started being destroyed in shipping... without notifying the company that ordered the shampoo... and then wanted more money for the "better" shampoo bottles.
Also some very questionable practices:
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The hair gel that we produced at the factory was green. One day, I noticed that the worker who filled the gel bottles had a skin condition. His hands were covered with the slick formula, and beneath the green, shimmery layer, I could see that the skin on his hands was peeling. Small, raw patches of flesh were exposed, and you didn’t have to be a dermatologist to see that his skin was infected.
“We should probably do something about this one,” I said to Sister, trying to sound calm, while in my head alarm bells were ringing.
Sister did not see the point. “Why?” she asked.
“It might be a health issue?”
“But the worker has done nothing wrong. It’s just an allergic reaction.”
Trying to press the matter, I suggested that the worker might contaminate the product.
Sister twisted around the argument. “How can he harm the product when it was the product that caused him the harm?”
- Insert obligatory Poorly Made in China ref[0].
It is a great read and surprisingly (scarily so) still relevant. I do however take issue with the title (clickbaity), it is a tad repetitive and sometimes very insightful while one paragraph later it reads like the authors first 10mins in China.
[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poorly_Made_in_China
Edit: note, the tricks described in this book are not exclusive to china.
- Required reading: "Poorly made in china" by Paul Midler. Truly a great look at exactly how this happens.
- > Manufacturing in the US will never be as good as china.
There's a very entertaining book called "Poorly Made in China" that will quickly disabuse you of such notions.
