Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Noam]

Was the factory in Hong Kong or mainland China?

I don't know. I might have been wrong on the location, but it was one of the two.

[HA Dave]

They closed their Hong Kong factory (that seems to be more fact than theory).

Was the factory in Hong Kong or mainland China?

Although for a century Hong Kong was under British law... that hasn't been the case for many years (the lease expired July 1, 1997). Since then both Hong Kong and the mainland has been allowed to practice capitalism. Capitalism, wasn't tolerated on the mainland before then. No matter what was said... I can't imagine any person (let alone an American Company) owning a factory in mainland China prior to '97). Even now most manufacturing is done in co-ops... where the factory is owned by the workers on the line or by the town/city government where it is located. China remains a communist nation. Their new mix of capitalism-communist... hasn't completely played out yet.

[Noam]

Sorry, I made a mistake. I went back and corrected it.
From the one article that everyone has quoted (which itself might have been entirely made up), it looks like the factory was not in Hong Kong, but elsewhere in China.

(Would you have gotten this upset with me had I accidentally said the factory was in Japan?)

[dhouston]

From a HomeToys article by Dave Rye, VP of X-10 who was with them at the beginning...

• http://www.hometoys.com/news_detail.php?section=view&id=15812638

Right from the beginning we intended that X10 products would be produced at low cost and in high volume so we set out to manufacture the products in the Far East. At first we used sub-contractors in Malaysia. By 1984 we had moved manufacturing to Hong Kong, had set up an office there, and at one point were managing 17 sub-contractors. This became a managerial nightmare. We found out that some of our sub-contractors were sub-sub-contracting into China. We thought “if they can do that, so can we” so we set up our own factory in China. Our first factory was in an area of Shenzhen that at the time was little more than a village. Now, 20 years later that area looks just like Hong Kong. We have since moved further into China, outside the first Shenzhen border. X10 was one of the pioneer western companies to set up shop in China.

[HA Dave]

... some of our sub-contractors were sub-sub-contracting into China. We thought “if they can do that, so can we” so we set up our own factory in China.

That sounds to me as if they had an office in Hong Kong.... and from there found contractors that made the parts on the mainland. Likely it was done with batch lot purchases (that is the way clothing is made for designers labels). "Set up" doesn't sound like built, owned, or purchased... to me. Although they may have had working relationships with some vendor or vendors that lasted for many years. But the odd subcontractor or compeating vendor would explain why the products often change without any real notice or identification.

China's standard of living has risen dramatically in recent years. The dream of owning a Flying Pigeon Bicycle... has evolved into a Home and an automobile. It ain't easy to find a place to make cheap electronic parts.

[Walt2]

Was the factory in Hong Kong or mainland China?

In searching around, I found this...

Hin Chew Chung
Owner of X-10 Wireless
$492 million loss due to failed IPO which led to the end of X10
by means of its forced bankruptcy dissolution in August 2011,
due to its exposé by Escape from Paradise

By Julie Jacobson, August 11, 2011

X10 is shutting down. It appears the company is headed into receivership and its factories will cease making products for controlling lights and other devices over the powerline.

X10 will no longer make products based on the home-control protocol it created in the 1970s.

http://www.escapefromparadise.com/NewFiles/chc.html

[HA Dave]

By Julie Jacobson, August 11, 2011
X10 is shutting down. It appears the company is headed into receivership ..................

I exchanged emails with Julie and posted here at the forum about them. She admitted that she made up that "X10's August announcement" (it NEVER happend and she knows that)... but she is happy people are repeating it.

http://www.escapefromparadise.com/NewFiles/chc.html

Does that really look like a serious Web Site? No one that has ever earned a dollar would think X10 is worth (or has EVER been worth) $492 million dollars. That can't be real.

[Walt2]

http://www.escapefromparadise.com/NewFiles/chc.html

Does that really look like a serious Web Site?

I guess you have never seen X10's website, have you?   

[Noam]

By Julie Jacobson, August 11, 2011
X10 is shutting down. It appears the company is headed into receivership ..................

I exchanged emails with Julie and posted here at the forum about them. She admitted that she made up that "X10's August announcement" (it NEVER happend and she knows that)... but she is happy people are repeating it.

http://www.escapefromparadise.com/NewFiles/chc.html

Does that really look like a serious Web Site? No one that has ever earned a dollar would think X10 is worth (or has EVER been worth) $492 million dollars. That can't be real.

What bothers me about this whole story is that X10 still seems to be shifting directions (rapidly), they have big shortages of come very popular items (like the CM15A), and they haven't said anything to counter the claims.

[HA Dave]

......... they haven't said anything to counter the claims.

Pardon? I myself have RE-posted where X10 said they were not going anywhere (here on the forum) And just yesterday I posted the image of your conversation with X10... on FaceBook.

We're all grownups here. We all know the entire world is going to crap. The American government is 15 TRILLION in debt... so much debt that there is NO WAY it can pay even the interest... so it just prints 150 billion or so each month to cover itself. GM went belly up... for Gods sake! The worlds largest most stable bank [Bank of America] teeters on government aid [which is fake printed money]. Some time next week... all of Europe is going to have to decide to succumb to Germain control.

And... I am suppose to concern myself about if X10 has filed for protection from creditors.... just like every airline in America has. I don't think so. Heck... I am posting this on X10's Web Site... I pretty sure it's here.

[Noam]

......... they haven't said anything to counter the claims.

Pardon? I myself have RE-posted where X10 said they were not going anywhere (here on the forum) And just yesterday I posted the image of your conversation with X10... on FaceBook.

We're all grownups here. We all know the entire world is going to crap. The American government is 15 TRILLION in debt... so much debt that there is NO WAY it can pay even the interest... so it just prints 150 billion or so each month to cover itself. GM went belly up... for Gods sake! The worlds largest most stable bank [Bank of America] teeters on government aid [which is fake printed money]. Some time next week... all of Europe is going to have to decide to succumb to Germain control.

And... I am suppose to concern myself about if X10 has filed for protection from creditors.... just like every airline in America has. I don't think so. Heck... I am posting this on X10's Web Site... I pretty sure it's here.

That's not exactly what I meant. I was referring to the extensive discussion we've had here for the past few months, with not a peep from X10 here on the forums on those topics (to my knowledge). Yes, we've gotten a word here or there by email or on Facebook, but nothing definitive, and nothing (that I know of) posted HERE by an X10 rep.

[Gismo]

Ok lets see
No Cm15A's
now the x10 site says....
ActiveHome Starter Kit OUT OF STOCK

ActiveHome 9-Piece Home Automation Starter Kit OUT OF STOCK

ActiveHome PC Magazine's Editors' Choice Kit OUT OF STOCK

Dual Floodlight Motion Detector with remote light control OUT OF STOCK

POWERFLASH Burglar Alarm Interface OUT OF STOCK

[HA Dave]

...... I was referring to the extensive discussion we've had here for the past few months, with not a peep from X10 here on the forums on those topics

You have a great point! But from the years I've been reading and posting here at the forums... that is pretty much what I've come to expect. The staff doesn't seem to spent much time or effort with the forum. They do seem pretty proud of the call-in technical staff and the number of customers they support by phone. But the company culture doesn't seem to value the forum. That is just the way it is.

And your right... we've been having this same discussion about X10 closing its doors... since August. It really doesn't take months to lock doors and shut off the lights. I can't believe this keeps coming back up.

I think in order to find and establish new foreign electronic manufactures X10 will have to boost there cash reserves. Right now banks are being forced by the government to buy treasuries with the fed money they normally would use for lending. For X10 building up cash may mean selling some tablets and SkyLinks... and I wish them well.

[HA Dave]

OUT OF STOCK....OUT OF STOCK...OUT OF STOCK

Yeah I know... it doesn't look good. I am not trying to paint a pretty picture of or for X10. Things really don't look good! I am the first to admit it. Things look really crappy... almost everywhere. X10 isn't just included.... X10 is likely about normal with other American companies.

I really hope X10 turns things around for the company. Even if that means selling other products that have nothing to do with the X10 protocol. Whatever it takes to get through these times... to keep the doors open... or Web Pages serving. Other low cost electronic manufactures will be found at some point.

[Bill H]

If X10 goes out, how will AHP software be registered for reinstalling (on a new hard drive)? Doesn't the registration confirmation come from their servers?