Allison Boats

[Andy56]

As far as sending jobs overseas because it only costs $3-4 a day goes, hope your sons and daughters cant get a job here too! As I see it, industry have millions to invest in new factories over seas but nothing to invest here. This is the American desease ie walmart the country!
I don't think we will be sending our boats to indonesia for servicing anytime soon! So there will always be a demand. Motors are generally more refined and less inclined to playup, but when they do. we really need a trained tech to service them.
$300-600 is not totally unreasonable for a service. (oil, filters, water pump/impellors, labour )
The cost of outboards is still an issue when we have parity with the american dollar. The distributors can help a fair bit here, cause I can't see how I can buy cheaper retail in USA than wholesale here. Something amis in the equation!
Hull manufactures have definitely upped the anti in the last year, increasing their prices by 15-20% . So I can see a case for retailers being screwed but I can also see a case of good service centres making money.
So if in the end, we end up with only a few dealers who actually make money, we just have to accept it. Face the facts, not all boat manufactures will make what the market will bare. Increasingly, R&D money has to be spent to keep up. Small operators don't have the resources to keep up ( generally, there are always exceptions).
We need to turn the economy around from being primarily realestate centred to manufacturing centred. But while the whole economy relies on banks that only want your house as collateral, we are all caught in the whirlpool.
As far as its the Governments fault, all I can say is we get what we deserve. Ever since Menzies' time, we have been complacent on all fronts. Liberals with their scorched earth policies that have become mainstream to Labors inability to live up to its ideals, AND US with the middle class welfare, notice all the wankers earning over $100g a year bleating over the carbon price- OMG nothing for me! ( if you hate Gillard, tell me, what is the death adder going to do?) So please stop blaming governments, we got what we deserved on this front.

[BM]

10 or so yrs back the days were numbered for manufacturing in Australia.

China does mass production very well and to the spec required. What they don't do so well is boutique / custom manufacturing.

This IMO is 1 of 2 areas for our future.

1) Custom (low volume) manufacturing.

2) Service. We won't compete globally for product manufacturing but we can excell at servicing products.

[johncar]

I think yes we are drunk on cheaper imports but I also think that there is something seriously wrong with our economy and extreme Taxes we are all paying. We have to earn a lot just to pay the taxes on everything. It seems that the workers, businesses of this country are the milking cows and the milk is just being sqandered on the ever growing welfare dependent and silly government schemes serving the wrong people. Major Govt changes and direction are needed urgently IMHO and Businesses must be strongly supported.
Well on the upside although I don't have a lot of money to waste but glad to say I just ordered a little locally built tinnie and will try and buy local for the whole fitout. I am certainly guilty of importing the odd thing though and I think Australian importers and distributors with the support of our governments probably need to do things differently to try and win our loyalty back.

I agree with hilta1 too, it is largely our own fault as a community to demand high wages and great living conditions but want to buy from struggling and developing countries. It will be our downfall if some balance isn't restored soon I think. Unfortunately most of us are pretty selfish and save a buck where we can, it is only natural so things need to be done to change out attitudes and support our own.
Very sad to hear about Allison Boats..just another major indicator of how poor shape we are in, and those down in canberra will still collect their fat payroll and super cheques for the rest of their days good job or bad. Just make another gigantic balls up and create a tax to cover the immense cost of their lack of foresight so it seems.

[hellfish]

Sad to hear but must say i am not surprised. Their ally boats were well built but very generic and basic in their layouts. Buyers looking in their price range for plate boats soon discover they are better off going with a custom build. This is what i have found while looking for a new hull anyway. I would imagine others would too.

[Dan5]

Sad to hear but must say i am not surprised. Their ally boats were well built but very generic and basic in their layouts. Buyers looking in their price range for plate boats soon discover they are better off going with a custom build. This is what i have found while looking for a new hull anyway. I would imagine others would too.

I found the same thing when looking at them at a boat show,fairly well built but not much imagination with the fitout very basic and seemed overpriced compared to others.........the hull was not a revolution fairly moderate deadrise.......they were just another tinny like a Tabs etc.

It's still not good to see another Aussie company go down though but BM has eluded to what will happen with the alloy boat market............Big manufacturers like Telwater will survive all be it more than likely down size and limit model range and be very budget boating concience............the few custom builders that survive will be where we turn to for something outside the mainstream for those who can afford it.

Dan

[TopBhoy]

How can I be sure that if I bought local then the money I used will not find its way back out of the country to buy more imports; I can't. I'm still at a loss to understand how, despite these times of having a strong $AUD, many imported items can cost double in Australia than in say USA or UK.....these are hardly sweatshop economies (despite their current problems).

[PinHead]

How can I be sure that if I bought local then the money I used will not find its way back out of the country to buy more imports; I can't. I'm still at a loss to understand how, despite these times of having a strong $AUD, many imported items can cost double in Australia than in say USA or UK.....these are hardly sweatshop economies (despite their current problems).

pretty simple..supply and demand..USA - about 300 mill people. UK about 60mill. Aus..about 22 mill and in the middle of nowhere for shipping etc. Hence, our per unit costs for shipping and handling are much higher than other places hence a higher retail price. Not good but it is reality.

As for manufacturing in Aus..it is over. Nothing left here now and I doubt any manufacturer will move back here regardless of what any Govt. does.

'Tis a shame to see anothe boat builder disappear.

[Homer_Jay]

pretty simple..supply and demand..USA - about 300 mill people. UK about 60mill. Aus..about 22 mill and in the middle of nowhere for shipping etc. Hence, our per unit costs for shipping and handling are much higher than other places hence a higher retail price. Not good but it is reality.

As for manufacturing in Aus..it is over. Nothing left here now and I doubt any manufacturer will move back here regardless of what any Govt. does.

'Tis a shame to see anothe boat builder disappear.

Still doesn't explain why certain items manufactured in Australia or New Zealand and be purchased so much cheaper from the US??
How can something be made in Brisbane, shipped around the world and back and still be cheaper than me just driving down the road to to pick it up?

[PinHead]

Still doesn't explain why certain items manufactured in Australia or New Zealand and be purchased so much cheaper from the US??
How can something be made in Brisbane, shipped around the world and back and still be cheaper than me just driving down the road to to pick it up?

quantities..if you are a manufacturer and one customer wants 10000 of your product and another wants 1000..which one will you give the better price to?

[Jarrah Jack]

quantities..if you are a manufacturer and one customer wants 10000 of your product and another wants 1000..which one will you give the better price to?

Shouldn't make that much difference or the lesser customer will either go elsewhere or out of business. Then the bigger customer will have a monopoly and start screwing you. Then you have to make up the shortfall on the next small customer........and so it goes.

[stevej]

simply put they price to what the market will pay

a porsche from europe when you add in luxury car tax,import costs, gst, overheads, here is still 30-40k dearer then buying in europe or the usa

shortsighted greed, not realising i things were cheaper they would sell more units and make more in servicing
this would apply to any mechanical product

[Homer_Jay]

Retailers need to wake up and realize that times have changed,
Once apon a time, I would go down the road to see "bob". Now Bob would look after me, he knew me by name, he sold a good product and gave great service, he would spend time and explain all I needed to know about the product. If I went home and there was any problem, I would go back and see Bob, and he would fix it/replace it or whatever. In fact Bob may even call into my place on his way home just to see that I was using it correct.
Now I am happy to pay Bob top dollar for something. He is a good bloke, and he comes and spends some money in my business so some of the money I spend comes back anyway.

Now days, the local "Fred" still charges me top dollar, he tries to take my money as quickly as possible and get me out of his shop. I call back to see fred because i have a bit of a problem, and before I can even get a word out, he is telling me that the warrantee doesn't cover this or that and that he can't help and if I don't get out of his shop he will call the "boys" from the workshop (how many threads have we read on here about the "great" service on offer now days). Fred doesn't shop at my shop, because he buys off the Internet, and he doesn't like to show his face around town too much anyway.

This is why we buy on price now days.

Why would I pay double just to get treated like crap?

Australian businesses need to either compete on price competitively, or give fantastic service.

Don't treat me (the consumer) like an idiot.
I have seen the buying power of the AU $ almost double over the last few years, why has the price on products from the US retailed in Australia not moved at all? Actually most things still increased.

As Stevej said above, Shortsighted greed sums up many local businesses. It's just a shame for the honest businesses still out there.

[FisHard]

Nicely put homer j.

[Noelm]

up to a point homer you are right, however, most internet shoppers only go and see "Bob" to get information, they pick his brain, gather all the glossy brochures, then go "google shopping" poor old Bob has just given you an hour of his time for jack shit! I see it all the time, and then the google purchase arrives and is either a dud, or missing something, where do you go? straight to Bob to get him to sort you out. I have nothing against shopping anywhere for the best price, but don't blame Bob for being too dear, 90% of the time, he can't buy the goods at the price you can from the US, not too sure where this global shopping thing will lead long term. Lets just put a slightly different slant on it, would you buy from Bob if he had no shop, no stock, but was much cheaper than he used to be, you email him, he sends the goods to you, no warranty, no after sales backup, nothing, would you still buy from Bob???

[myusernam]

Economics 101. It's our job as consumers to shop around and try and get the best deal. It's the manufacturers job to try and make the item and sell for the most money. The end. It all balances out into a market. It's not up to consumers to subsidise or prop up uncompetitive or unsustainable businesses. It's not helpful and makes no difference in the end.