zlin wrote:30-story building built in 15 days by a Chinese company
Zlin Ji mind boggling


zlin wrote:30-story building built in 15 days by a Chinese company
Virupaksha wrote:I am ignorant about construction, but is the crane now permanently part of the building??
Sri wrote:It is now called lift. To save time onlee...
gakakkad wrote:one of the biggest mistakes these idiots have made w.r.t HSRs is that they don't take freight. trains cant profit without cargo.
zlin wrote:30-story building built in 15 days by a Chinese company
To expedite the process, sections of the building were prefabricated in factories and shipped to the site before construction, the news site wrote.
And it will fall down like Jenga blocks in 15 days. LOL
Rapid construction reduced waste and energy, he told the news site. "We need to speed up our environmental thinking. We need buildings like this all over China," he said.
Apparently Yue intends to keep building these pre-fabs around the country. "In 2013 we will build 20 buildings a month and by 2014, we'll be up to 50 buildings a month," he told NEWS.com.au.
· The Chinese city of Shenzhen is where most of our "crap" is made. 30 years ago, Shenzhen was a little village on a river. Now it's a city of 13 million people — bigger than New York.
· Foxconn, one of the companies that builds iPhones and iPads (and products for many other electronics companies), has a factory in Shenzhen that employs 430,000 people.
· There are 20 cafeterias at the Foxconn Shenzhen plant. They each serve 10,000 people.
· One Foxconn worker Mike Daisey interviewed, outside factory gates manned by guards with guns, was a 13-year old girl. She polished the glass of thousands of new iPhones a day.
· The 13-year old said Foxconn doesn't really check ages. There are on-site inspections, from time to time, but Foxconn always knows when they're happening. And before the inspectors arrive, Foxconn just replaces the young-looking workers with older ones.
· In the first two hours outside the factory gates, Daisey meets workers who say they are 14, 13, and 12 years old (along with plenty of older ones). Daisey estimates that about 5% of the workers he talked to were underage.
· Daisey assumes that Apple, obsessed as it is with details, must know this. Or, if they don't, it's because they don't want to know.
· Daisey visits other Shenzhen factories, posing as a potential customer. He discovers that most of the factory floors are vast rooms filled with 20,000-30,000 workers apiece. The rooms are quiet: There's no machinery, and there's no talking allowed. When labor costs so little, there's no reason to build anything other than by hand. {So much for China's famed super efficient manufacturing abilities. Slave labor is always very efficient}
· A Chinese working "hour" is 60 minutes — unlike an American "hour," which generally includes breaks for Facebook, the bathroom, a phone call, and some conversation. The official work day in China is 8 hours long, but the standard shift is 12 hours. Generally, these shifts extend to 14-16 hours, especially when there's a hot new gadget to build. While Daisey is in Shenzhen, a Foxconn worker dies after working a 34-hour shift.
· Assembly lines can only move as fast as their slowest worker, so all the workers are watched (with cameras). Most people stand.
· The workers stay in dormitories. In a 12-by-12 cement cube of a room, Daisey counts 15 beds, stacked like drawers up to the ceiling. Normal-sized Americans would not fit in them.
· Unions are illegal in China. Anyone found trying to unionize is sent to prison.
· Daisey interviews dozens of (former) workers who are secretly supporting a union. One group talked about using "hexane," an iPhone screen cleaner. Hexane evaporates faster than other screen cleaners, which allows the production line to go faster. Hexane is also a neuro-toxin. The hands of the workers who tell him about it shake uncontrollably.
· Some workers can no longer work because their hands have been destroyed by doing the same thing hundreds of thousands of times over many years (mega-carpal-tunnel). This could have been avoided if the workers had merely shifted jobs. Once the workers' hands no longer work, obviously, they're canned.
· One former worker had asked her company to pay her overtime, and when her company refused, she went to the labor board. The labor board put her on a black list that was circulated to every company in the area. The workers on the black list are branded "troublemakers" and companies won't hire them.
· One man got his hand crushed in a metal press at Foxconn. Foxconn did not give him medical attention. When the man's hand healed, it no longer worked. So they fired him. (Fortunately, the man was able to get a new job, at a wood-working plant. The hours are much better there, he says — only 70 hours a week).
· The man, by the way, made the metal casings of iPads at Foxconn. Daisey showed him his iPad. The man had never seen one before. He held it and played with it. He said it was "magic."
sha wrote:In China there're worse factories than Foxconn. The Fonconn provides its workers with swiming pool, cinema, sports center etc.
Shankas wrote:sha wrote:In China there're worse factories than Foxconn. The Fonconn provides its workers with swiming pool, cinema, sports center etc.
I too have heard that Foxconn provides these amazing facilities and more. Buildings are covered with nets to protect workers practicing "Parkour" on rooftops.
sha wrote:In China there're worse factories than Foxconn. The Fonconn provides its workers with swiming pool, cinema, sports center etc.
China is a loser and I don't think a brilliant man such as you have to prove it.
Theo_Fidel wrote:Actually Foxconn has a massive facility in Chennai that employs about 20,000 workers. They are in the process of expanding to 40,000 and eventually plan to have about 500,000 workers in India.
There was some early unpleasantness with some strikes and union tussles when they tried to import their China 'practices' wholesale. There was significant push back esp. for better pay. Most issues have now been resolved and they pretty much operate like an IT company and treat the workers quite well. No 12 hour shift with out overtime pay here. Union and management actually get along really well now, mostly. I have heard on the grape vine that the Chennai factory productivity makes heads turn back in Head office Taiwan now.
Foxconn mistreatment of young Chinese is a function of CPC and its contempt for working proles.
VikramS wrote:I think what is happening in Gujarat is an example of that. Perhaps it will be the federal nature of the Indian system which will allow it to thrive in spite of the INC.
Gus wrote:Serious question here for Chinese posters..
Do you feel that this is the only way to prosperity for China? export driven strategy on the backs of exploited young and poor while the money is spent on glitz and show (not talking about really useful infrastructure part...but the ones like HSR, three gorges dam, ghost towns, etc) and the policy makers have authority but no accountability..
Gus wrote:Serious question here for Chinese posters..
Do you feel that this is the only way to prosperity for China? export driven strategy on the backs of exploited young and poor while the money is spent on glitz and show (not talking about really useful infrastructure part...but the ones like HSR, three gorges dam, ghost towns, etc) and the policy makers have authority but no accountability..
BEIJING - What provides some relief in today's chilly global economic climate is not just the continuous growth of emerging countries as the world's economic engines, but also the strong performance of luxury goods, especially in China.
It is predicted that the value of luxury goods bought on the Chinese mainland will reach 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) in 2011 for the first time ever, with an annual growth rate of 25 to 30 percent, which means China is likely to surpass Japan as the world's largest purchaser of luxury goods in 2012, according to the latest report from Bain Capital.
Consultancy firm McKinsey & Co also expects China to be the largest luxury goods market in the world by 2015, accounting for more than 20 percent of global sales.
"At this pace, Chinese consumers will, in the medium to long term, make up 70 percent of the global luxury market's growth," said Bernard Malek, a partner at Roland Berger.
Financial results support their confidence, as the luxury brands, especially top-end manufacturers, have indeed benefited from soaring sales in China. Richemont, one of the world largest luxury groups, for example, has seen its share price triple from 2009 lows and now trades at 17 times 2011 forecast earnings, with 2.6 billion euros ($3.4 billion) net in cash. Burberry and Prada appear stretched on multiples of more than 20 times.
However, many high-end brands are finding the luxury market in China is different from the one they are used to in Japan.
Although the affluent population in Japan is much larger, in China the people who buy luxury goods are willing to spend a much bigger share of their income on them - 10 to 15 percent in China compared with only 4 percent in Japan, according to the latest McKinsey survey "Insight: China-luxury goods".
Also Chinese buyers of luxury goods are generally much younger, 15 to 20 years younger on average. Young consumers in Japan have been moving away from luxury goods due to the weak Japanese economy in recent years. Even working women who still live with their parents, once famous for their consumption of luxury goods, are not such prominent high-end spenders as they used to be. In China gift-giving is also a significant factor in the sales of luxury items.
It has taken less than five years for China to grow from a very small market for luxury brands to their most important market. Yuval Atsmon, a partner at McKinsey, who led the research on buyers of high-end brands, believes the reason for China's importance is "clearly due to its already huge size and the massive growth potential, but also due to high profitability levels, often better than other markets".
Allowing for the spending of Chinese shoppers abroad, which some brand managers estimate is similar to their spending in China, Chinese people could soon represent more than 50 percent of the business of outlets selling quality brands. For some that is the case today.
Lutz Bethge, global chief executive officer of Montblanc, said: "Apart from the similarities with other Asian markets, the Chinese mainland has unique characteristics in its faster growth of the wealthy population and its rising middle-class segment which not only represents growing consuming power, but also means a rapidly growing interest in luxury goods."
"What is remarkable in our experience is that the purchasing power from second- and third-tier cities in China has also been growing very fast," he added.
As with their expansion strategy in Japan, luxury brands in China are now under pressure to open more retail outlets in China since it is still far from being a saturated market. For instance, Herms at present has 20 shops in China, fewer than half of the number of shops it has in Japan. Chanel has only eight boutiques in China. There are more than 50 in Japan.
However, Atsmon said: "It is possible that even as Beijing or Shanghai become markets as big or bigger than Tokyo, there will be fewer but bigger stores. As for smaller cities, the brands want to reach more cities where there is a clear demand for their goods, but they must ensure they do not compromise their standards as they rush to expand, which is especially important in China, as for many consumers this will be their first exposure to the brand." Some brands are prepared to expand more slowly than others, concentrating on quality rather than quantity.
Montblanc, for instance, which has been investing in China for nearly 10 years, opened its "worldwide concept" store in Beijing on Jan 12, at which it will offer a unique customer experience for Chinese shoppers. As Montblanc's biggest investment in the Chinese market yet, the new four-level store in Sanlitun, displaying a full spectrum of its luxury collection, from its ever-growing range of genuine Swiss timepieces to writing instruments, leather, jewelry and accessories, is also the largest Montblanc boutique in the world. It indicates how important the China luxury market is seen by the brand.
China has become the largest market in the world for many top brands. Montblanc, although it now already operates nearly 100 boutiques across China, including the recent launch of a large new boutique in Guangzhou, still chose Beijing for its largest store, showing the brand's commitment and confidence in China.
Besides recruiting and training high quality shop assistants for boutiques, McKinsey also suggests luxury brands can leverage their cultural heritage since it can add value and increase the attraction of products for Chinese people.
Many brands are looking to exploit their heritage by building small museums and staging exhibitions. However, more than one-third of Chinese shoppers prefer products with Chinese designs and traditional elements, especially the emerging middle-class customers, according to McKinsey.
"It is critical to establish our luxury European brand heritage image well before we consider local elements because we need to make the customers believe in the brand first in terms of reliable quality, European craftsmanship and the prestigious status of owning a Monblanc product," said Bethge.
But even if they want to, luxury brands cannot ignore the preferences of Chinese buyers. For instance, the traditional desirability of gold for Chinese people mean that Montblanc watches and writing instruments that contain gold are their best sellers in China. They have also launched products specific to the Chinese market, such as the Fortune Number 8 writing instrument introduced in 2009 - eight is seen as the most auspicious number in China.
Some brands have gone as far as launching Chinese lines - most notably Shang Xia (topsy-turvy in Mandarin), a new brand established by Herms especially for China. Many brands now have exclusive lines for the Chinese market. This is a particular strong trend for watches.
Atsmon said: "We will see more Chinese designs, trends and insights influencing the European teams, very possibly with parts of the design team actually being in Shanghai. This trend is already being seen with some luxury car makers."
Because it will become the largest luxury market in the near future, those brands that have a strong position in China may need to behave as if they are Chinese companies. This will include not only their investment strategies and designs, but also management. While Japan has a very prominent share, the current trend in China suggests it will become a bigger market and therefore more important than Japan for the makers of luxury goods.
Hari Seldon wrote:^^^ Clealy, the dlones are taking lessons in salcasm now...LOL. And many many more need to be taken before they can pull one off smoothly. Miss the JYang type smooth operators. Nowadays CPC is allotting third-rate drop-out dlones to plopagandize BRF, seems like..."sigh".
heech wrote:snip
heech wrote:
I, for one, am excited, gratified, thrilled by what China has achieved for her people over the last THREE decades... and for the sake of the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of Chinese who remain impoverished, I only hope it continues for 5 more decades to come. That's probably how long it will take before people like you will run completely out of things to mock China for.
Gus wrote:heech wrote:snip
let me try to rephrase..
are you happy with what you have put in (exploited labor, tax payer money, lack of freedom etc) and what you got (GDP, infrastructure etc)?
Hari Seldon wrote:^^^ Clealy, the dlones are taking lessons in salcasm now...LOL. And many many more need to be taken before they can pull one off smoothly. Miss the JYang type smooth operators. Nowadays CPC is allotting third-rate drop-out dlones to plopagandize BRF, seems like..."sigh".
heech wrote:I've been on/off in BR for almost a decade. Not much has changed. There've been an awful lot of Indians gleefully pointing out that, indeed, China remains a poor nation. Perhaps this comes as a surprise to you... but this is painfully obvious to almost all Chinese: China remains a very poor nation... but thank the fortunes, the Chinese (individually and as a people) are a little less poor today than we were last year, much less than 5 years ago, and incredibly less so versus where we were 10 years ago.
heech wrote:I, for one, am excited, gratified, thrilled by what China has achieved for her people over the last THREE decades... and for the sake of the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of Chinese who remain impoverished, I only hope it continues for 5 more decades to come. That's probably how long it will take before people like you will run completely out of things to mock China for.
sha wrote:Gus wrote:let me try to rephrase..
are you happy with what you have put in (exploited labor, tax payer money, lack of freedom etc) and what you got (GDP, infrastructure etc)?
I don't think heech mentioned GDP and infrastructure in the first place. He just said the young man/women is enslaved and have his/her life improved. It's a pragmatic point of view.
I guess Heech's points are:
1. The reality sucks, but let us roll with it;
2. Things may not be perfect, but they works.
3. China still has a long way to go, but things change for the better.
sha wrote:PrasadZ,you're expect some one which would like to enlighten you guys and are willing to endure insult from you guys.
Good luck to you! Let's pray he/she will show up.
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