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Mexican manufacturers?

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hellconcave
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:57 am Reply with quote
Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 230 Location: sweden
Found this on some skateboardrumors forum:

Zero - Mexico in JT's own factory
Deluxe - Mexico with bareback?
Blitz - A mix of China, Mexican and American
Dwindle - China
Tum Yeto - America
Kayo Co. - Mix? American / Mexican ?
DNA - American still...
Zoo York - American
Giant - America / China
ATM - America / Mexico ?
Syndrome (home of new Plan B) - Mexico
Element - America / Mexico
Girl - China

Never heard of any manufacturers in Mexico and Jamie Thomas own factory, anyone?
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skinny
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 7:49 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 12 Sep 2004 Posts: 2706
Yup this is the new face of things. The funny part is, the guys that set up the mexican woodshops were already close enough to go down there and set up everything first hand. In the Chinese manufacturing plants people are sent there and then leave hoping everything stays up to par. What that boils down to is decks that are still slightly more expensive than the Chinese decks are made in Mexico. However in Mexico they are for the most part still using the techniques that U.S. manufactuers invented. The most important thing is that most of the mexican made decks are still cold pressed and allowed time to cure. The Chinese operations make decks by the thousands a day and have had to do things like heat pressing them at around 130 degrees, this makes a cold climate wood like maple super brittle. Both countries rely heavily on the cheaper western Canadian maple. I would venture that the mexican made decks delam less and are less brittle, however both Chinese and Mexican decks use the same maple and if you have ridden one lately you know that they just plain wear out quick. The only major thing in the Mexican woodshops that reduces costs is the fact that the labor is signifigantly reduced.
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slob-air
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 8:59 pm Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 27 Oct 2001 Posts: 63453 Location: S&B HQ
Dwindle gets their wood from Eastern Canada. Some of the other manus over there are using Eastern US maple.

The thing about the Chinese Ops, and Skip will back me up on this, as he's been there and seen it first haned, the second the Americans fly back, the Chinese are swapping materials and glue for cheaper material, selling the good stuff and pocketing the difference.

China also has horrendous humidity - that's not good for pressing wood in.

Generator, formerly BBS, has a woodshop in Mexico now too.

I think pressing Eastern Canadian maple in eastern Canada would have the best results. What do you think, Skinny?

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skinny
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 9:12 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 12 Sep 2004 Posts: 2706
I think thats a really good idea because the material would be close to its origins and if they had a climate controlled building with a curing facillity, they would be able to retain maximum wood cellular tensile strength. Plus there would be no shipping costs eating away at the overall profit. I am quite suprized to hear that Dwindle would go to those lengths to get the right material. If they do I would suspect that they suppliment with other maple sources. You nailed it on the head about the Chinese shops doing that kind of stuff, I mean changing materials. Every once in a while I get a call or an e-mail offering a "vacation" to China. I would just end up ruining it for everyone else though....except for the skaters who want good decks. I am pretty sure I won't ever do it.....
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slob-air
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 10:48 pm Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 27 Oct 2001 Posts: 63453 Location: S&B HQ
The manager of the woodshop at Dwindle is an old skate bro of mine and we got into it over this issue (he's actually still pissed about it). He swore to me he picks the logs in North Eastern Canada himself and they're barged over to China. Knowing him since 1980, I'm inclined to believe him. But that doesn't mean Chinese aren't switching out wood though while he's wake boarding in Arizona.

I was looking into throwing together a consortium to build a woodshop up here. There's also the benifit of NAFTA - no import duties when shipping them down to the States. If your dollar ever rebounds the dollar differential would be a bonus too.

Anyone got a Million sitting around doing nothing?

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skinny
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 12:54 am Reply with quote
Joined: 12 Sep 2004 Posts: 2706
Was that a job offer?
Sorry I gave my last million to the last person who asked.
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slob-air
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 1:14 am Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 27 Oct 2001 Posts: 63453 Location: S&B HQ
You have an address for this person?

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childish gambino
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 1:33 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 290 Location: Victoria, BC
Quote:
I think pressing Eastern Canadian maple in eastern Canada would have the best results. What do you think, Skinny?


This company does that: www.homegrownskateboards.com

These guys are friends of an ex-girl friend of mine. They were just learning back then so I have no idea how good the boards are but they're probably pretty good at what they do by now.

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skinny
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 3:08 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 12 Sep 2004 Posts: 2706
[quote="childish gambino"]
Quote:
They were just learning back then so I have no idea how good the boards are but they're probably pretty good at what they do by now.

You are probably right, the secret to all of this stuff is just practice and imagination. The biggest producing woodshop of all time started with an idea and the will to try it out.
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