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Intesting letter regarding Fullfield II

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ceylonc View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ceylonc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Intesting letter regarding Fullfield II
    Posted: January/15/2007 at 09:21

I read this letter on savageshooters.com.  It pertains to the recent move of Burris Fullfield II manufacture to the far east from the USA.  Thought it might be of interest...

 

Having been at Burris for over ten years and our president for over 30 years, it pained both of us and our staff to recognize the necessity for some alternative manufacturing.  It is not simply evil manufacturers on a quest to displace American workers that is in play here.  What has happened is the American consumer (excepting you and a very small minority of consumers) has abandoned us US Manufacturers with their all mighty dollars.  A Burris Fullfield 3X-9X riflescope has now been retailing at the same price point for over 10 years.  Because American consumers have put their vote on foreign imports, Burris has not been able to increase what we can sell our main line scope for by even 1%!  Our American workers over the same time period have had their wages move 40% to 50%.  Our raw material costs, plant maintenance costs, and utilities costs have risen at a similar pace. Our fringe benefit costs, especially in the health insurance area, has far outpaced this rate of change in costs.

Burris has continually invested in more modern and more efficient manufacturing equipment and higher paid and more skilled machinists in our effort to compete with foreign made scopes.  Burris was faced with either harnessing the global manufacturing market or simply allowing the majority of American consumers to put us completely out of business.  The path we chose was NOT to simply do like the importers do of finding a scope series in the orient, put our name on it, and sell it here. Rather we chose to maintain a higher level of quality and consistency by taking our engineered design, our tolerances, our lens specifications, our assembly processes, our quality control measures and installing all these competencies into a lesser labor market ONLY for our Fullfield II riflescopes.  Other than the location of manufacture, these imported scopes are identical to our USA made scopes. These are also final tested here, final inspected here, packaged here, and serviced here.

Our other scope lines in the Signature Select, Short Mag, Euro Diamond, Black Diamond, and Handgun scopes have not been faced with quite as severe foreign competition because the volumes are less attractive.  All of these scope series are still made in the USA and we have no intentions of changing this.  Therefore you still have every opportunity with Burris to purchase made in the USA products.

The world has turned into a much smaller place and a much more competitive place.  You don’t like it and we don’t like it.  You have conveyed your taking offense to Burris abandoning or betraying the American worker.  Nothing could be further from reality.  We take great offense to this claim.  It is the vast majority of American consumers who has abandoned the US manufacturer.  I applaud your position on buying USA, and I applaud your service to our country and to our economy. Businesses such as Burris don’t set the landscape for this global economy and seamless world, that is done by the American consumer and by our federal government.  We small businesses simply have to respond to the American consumer and give them what they want.  A great many of them want the Burris quality you speak of, but want it at a price which competes with imports while at the same time some would prefer Burris not go bankrupt, though I question how much of a concern this last point really is.

As your fellow American who has and continues to do what he can to support our country, our workers, and our way of life, it is from this perspective that I am speaking with you.  You may purchase whatever brand you choose without our judgment, but please, let us not be enemies.

Sincerely,


Patrick Beckett

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Dolphin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dolphin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/15/2007 at 11:34
He speaks of the realities of our economy and unfortunately has afftected all segments of products produced.  We want quality products and we all would prefer to support our American workers, but do not want to pay more for an inferior product, just because it is made here.  I love the Fullfield II scope and do not care that it is made in the Phillipines.  I find it unfortunate Burris has to do this, but it is fiscally responsible on their part and I applaud their decision to do so.
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tahqua View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/15/2007 at 11:43
Thanks for the info, ceylonc. Good response from Mr. Beckett.
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jonbravado View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonbravado Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/15/2007 at 12:06

having owned a small business, he seems to make the right choice in my book.

 

i have had to offshore production of an item or two, but it was either do that, or lose 30-50K per year.

being a very SMALL business, this is a lot of money.

 

i respect his devotion to the american people - i try to buy american-made items as much as possible.

but you can't sling a dead cat without hitting overseas goods.

 

i wish we could shut the borders to trade and become self sufficient, but that will unfortunately never happen.

 

i really respect his letter, says a lot about his company.

 

J

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tahqua View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/15/2007 at 12:17
I have four Burris scopes and will consider more. There is no avoiding the fact that the world is shrinking and smaller companies will have to go off shore for some of their production to compete. I am glad to see that Burris controls the plant and is not just job shopping for the FF's. It is important that quality be maintained and Burris appears to be on the right track off shore.
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