Big, Bigger, Biggest

Deamer—It is very difficult to predict the future but certainly the growth of potential competition from the Far East and other low-labor-cost countries is a threat to our and just about every other industry. I truly believe that you “get what you pay for” and certainly with machinery, while the price may be lower and the machine of OK quality, how does that help you when the machine breaks down and you need parts and service? Downtime on production machinery is very expensive! I believe the quality of machinery, packaging, or any other product from the Far East or other low-cost manufacturing areas of the world will get better. However, I firmly believe that response, service, technical support, and delivery times will enable good, flexible Western companies to compete as long as they see the threat and react by doing all they must to reduce costs and increase efficiency and productivity. This must be done while staying right on top of advanced technology by investing heavily in research and development as our company does.