27 replies to this topic

[David]

Until you think about it, it doesn't hit home just how bad the weak Pound is. Last year it was $1.80 to the £, now its $1.35 to the £.

This means that something imported that cost £100 last year would cost £133. For the same thing!

However, a British item produced to sell to (eg) the American market could be sold for much more. The same item could be sold for the same price it was last year- $180. However due to the weak £ the British based producer/seller would get £133 for it, whereas last year he would have only got £100.

A weak £ helps domestic industry, as suddenly goods are much more "affordable" to the international market (or more profitable to the domestic seller- or a combination of both.

Thats great, except for the fact that... there is (virtually) no domestic industry in fireworks.

It also means, somewhat frustratingly, that there is little or no domestic alternative when imports become less attractive.

[Mortartube]

Whilst I can see what you are saying, the main problem is that most of the chemicals required are bought in from abroad, so our weak pound makes them expensive and once other materials (tubes, printing, paper etc), and labour costs were added on, our products would still be somewhat dear compared to China.

[crystal palace fireworks]

Spot on David,

For decades the much of the corrupt, immoral, short-sighted political elite in this country has neglected to invest, protect or support UK manufacturing businesses in general to favour low wage economies of cheap imported goods.

We should return to import quota`s to help our economy in the first instance, but they (the politicians)won`t do it because of self interest based on pure financial service economies in the UK (they pander to the bankers).

In essence, much of the current restrictive firework making legislation in the UK and EU makes it almost impossible for manufacturing businesses to start-up, compete or survive on a level playing field with the likes of china,...... when there is a need to take advantage of the £ against the $, there is also the fear of being sued to consider.

Basically we have the talent in this country at grass roots level, but not the will or care anymore to do anything about it!

[digger]

Interesting stuff.

It would be great to some reasonable scale manufacture of consumer fireworks again in the UK.

Yes there are some issues relating to our manufacturing not being protected over the years.

I don't think that any of the current legislation precludes this type of business.

I don't think it is necessarily a materials costs issue, more an issue of labor cost I would imagine. Many hours of work go into that £20 cake that you buy from the local fireworks emporium which is fine in china when you pay someone $80 a month. However in the UK this alone makes it uneconomic.

I suppose the other option is for automated processes, this is not impossible and many of the unit operations are already automated even in China. But there are many hurdles to overcome given the nature of the materials involved.

But yes that said it would be great to see it return.

[knackers]

not speaking about the uk specifically, but on a grander scale, import quotas are from a bygone protectionist era, and will never be seen again, the new world order has seen to that with all of these free trade agreements. our $ is worth 45 p and 67 us cents, it is atrocious to import anything although it makes our country prosper and local products are cheaper, My country Australia now has FTA with south east asia, china, america and every other country in the south pacific, , it has a detrimental adverse reaction, most of our manufacturing is going off shore to asia along with our jobs, soon we will be like you guys and produce nothing at home, good bye to good old sheffield steel, best tools i ever bought

[phildunford]

But there will come a day (and sooner than most people think) when the expolited workers of China Etc will want the same standard of living as the West and demand the same wages. What then, a New, New World Order?

Will be interesting to see...

[crystal palace fireworks]

Yep, when living standards, and the costs of the infrastructure of china rise to meet westernised levels, then production will revert elsewhere,.....unfortunately not to us, but to other poorer cheap labour countries,....... unless we have some sort of protectionism or fair trade agreements put in place.

In my opinion, the new world order will mean mass unemployment in the UK and EU, and then civil unrest on a scale not seen before, perhaps even nuclear destruction or mass genicide god forbid!

Sorry guys, but thats my rant for the day!....arh, I feel better now!

[David]

The thing is, fireworks WERE produced in Britain, and I would assumed it was economical to do so. Of course the fireworks were a lot smaller- more like the Garden Selection box style than the 2 KG NEC airb0mbdeathmega cake.

If production were to revert to Britain, as digger says labour costs would make the bigger cakes simply uneconomical for the consumer market. People would be buying smaller, but better quality, selection box type fireworks.

It might (I wish) be the case that there were still bigger Chinese items, but these being more geared towards the enthusiast market, and a rise in British selection boxes for the garden market.

I was reading an old cartoon from 1989 in which they had a selection box- with each firework doing a different and distinct effect. That is something that nowadays is simply gone. I for one would like to see it back again- A selection box designed at Cat 2, to be marketed to the general public as porper, decent, British garden fireworks. Because whats on sale at the moment in that area is pretty rubbish, and it's just going to get more expensive.

Edited by David, 03 April 2009 - 01:29 PM.

[Spyrotechnics]

Alas nostalgia is a great thing but in REAL terms the cost of fireworks has plummeted and the UK Consumer of 2009 wouldn't pay the money that say a late 1970's or early 1980's consumer would have paid for a selection box.

Costs go down, expectations rise out of all recognition and I really can't see a return from that.

[Arthur Brown]

It's a sad fact that the labour cost involved in a firework is huge, whatever the currency unit. So the production will go to places with the lowest labour price. Add to that China's historic skills position in fireworks and it's place in the market is secure.

However, if -as happened to food- people (consumers) start looking at miles travelled as negative green credentials, or the Chinese currency repositions, or the Chinese introduce a more western Health and Safety culture, then markets could shift.

[David]

However, if -as happened to food- people (consumers) start looking at miles travelled as negative green credentials

This could, in the long term, be a factor. It certainly is an argument against supermarket buy one get one "free" shite.

There is also the angle of being "nice and traditional" or specifically "low noise" etc that could be used as a selling point.

Its largely a hypothetical argument at the moment, sadly.

Edited by David, 11 April 2009 - 03:18 PM.

[Arthur Brown]

One major feature is the naming of fireworks! My local (ish) 365 day seller has made the consious effort to stock titles like Armageddon meggadoom boom BECAUSE THEY SELL! Names like Golden flower bloom simply don't sell at the moment, so retailers will allocate shelf inches to selling titles. Currently the firework market is one of the few that sells to men! Almost every other market area sells to women - start with clothes and food! Even cars, only the most "TopGear" of cars sells to a mixed market, the rest sell to women.

[David]

The fact that something is "British" can also be a selling point, and a price riser.

I'm cooking a lasagne at the moment, £3.50 from an upper-scale supermarket. The whole marketing is "good, simple, traditional etc"- they even name the guy who cooked it on the packed (and it does change- not always the same guy.)

Is it really 4 times better than a 89p Adli Lasagne, produced in "The EU?"

Well, probably not!

But the image of British produced, farmhouse kitchen quality, traditional methods la la la can be a good selling point.

[David]

One major feature is the naming of fireworks! My local (ish) 365 day seller has made the consious effort to stock titles like Armageddon meggadoom boom BECAUSE THEY SELL! Names like Golden flower bloom simply don't sell at the moment, so retailers will allocate shelf inches to selling titles. Currently the firework market is one of the few that sells to men!

Kimbolton are a popular brand, and they tend to stick to simple titles (mostly).

Golden Lion went with deliberalty silly titles, that sound like mis-translations (Happy Panda Shoots Himself.)

but....

I was once in a shop, and a customer was actually considering not buying "Screaming Spiders" because she didn;t like the name!

[Spyrotechnics]

I understand the analagy, but people buy food everyday and have a better understanding of the quality of ingredients etc etc

The VAST majority of people buy fireworks once a year, have litte understanding of the impact the quality of the chemicals, manufacturing will have and will go with what they think looks good on the shelf at a certain price point, whatever that may be.