Poorly Made in China is the narrative account of an American who helped facilitate China's booming relationship with the US. The book details compelling and, at times, alarming accounts of seven distinct US-China relationships that author Paul Midler has managed. Midler addresses a disturbing trend he refers to as quality fade--the deliberate and secretive habit of widening profit margins through a reduction in the quality of materials. US importers usually never notice this is happening; downward changes are subtle but progressive. The author sees this as pervasive in China, with no end in sight. The result is faulty or even dangerous products being sold in the US. In one example, an American company outsourced the production of the aluminum systems used to support tons of concrete in the construction of high-rise commercial buildings to China. There, the supplier elected to reduce the specifications, and the amount of aluminum used in the supports. When the production error was caught, one aluminum part was found to be weighing less than 90% of its intended weight. While there are many books out on China, most fail to appeal to a broad audience, relying primarily on heavy statistics or abstract history lessons in their content. This book is a narrative account written from an insider's perspective that offers business lessons and constructive reflections on the world's most dynamic economy. | |
