What do you think about German-made products?

Question

I know it is not right to make a general statement about German products, but I do notice that most German Products are on top of their leagues, like BMW and Mercedes for Cars, Steinway and Bosendorfer for pianos, Carl-Zeiss for lenses, Blaupunkt and Sennheiser for audio equipment, Rolex was founded by a German (though it is now swiss), Staedtler for engingeering drawing instruments.

I'm not trying to start a nationalistic argument here.
I just want to know your opinions on why there are so many German products that are of good quality.

Answer 1

ive been living in germany for 2 years now. ive found that their products made here are usually far superior to ones made in japan or america. not sure why. maybe because they take industry more seriously. they dont just outsource all the labor and mass produce stuff to sell for very cheap like the US does. thats also why German products are more expensive.

Answer 2

Just for the record, Steinway is an American company. The Steinway family emigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1849 and founded the company in 1853.

Going back to your question, though: A lot of German companies are small to mid-sized, and in German one often speaks of Mittelstand companies. The key here is that the businesses are still family-owned, or, even if they're publicly traded companies, the families still own a controlling share of the company. When a family controls a business, they tend to take a long view in terms of management decisions and they take a lot of pride in the product as a reflection of the family. BMW is controlled by the Quandt family, for example.

In contrast, if company management isn't familial, it'll be out in a few years and has less incentive to make decisions that will benefit a company over the long-term. A 5 or 10-year CEO with share options will try to bang up short-term earnings for the benefit of his paycheck but might not be as interested in securing the company's future 40 or 50 years down the line. Outsourcing, relentless cost cutting, and acquisitions may drive up earnings temporarily, but they impact quality at a certain point. And, ultimately, if your quality is crap, your company will go down the tube, too--a fact American car makers have refused to learn since before the days when the government had to bail out Chrysler.

You could say Steinway proves this point even though it's based in America, as the company is still a family business.

Answer 3

Germany has a different tradition of manufacturing, which has it's roots in the middle ages guild system and the pride handicraft masters took in their work.For example, a german shoemaker might insist on doing things the traditional way, like his father did (in case he had the same profession) and even use old tools.A japanese or american would always strive to do things in the most modern way and not use any outdated tools or methods anymore.I think you will also find that most german companies are considerably older than their american or sometimes even japanese counterparts, the big ones are usually more than 100 years old and thus already build cars etc. when quality was much more important than today.A car built between 1935 - 1955 had a lot higher quality since the workers still took pride in their work.

Answer 4

I am the son of an Auschwitz survivor and while my views on Israel and Zionism may surprise you, my PERSONAL feelings are that I cannot or better yet will not use German products. I don't know if that should be a Jewish policy as I certainly cannot speak for all Jews, but to me buying German would be a slap in the face of my mother. yes, Germany has come a long way, but there is a worldwide movement to either minimize or eradicate the memory of the Holocaust. My personal boycott is my own way of never forgetting.

Answer 5

I beleive that German products are superior. When I purchase anything, I will always buy a German product first. They are of the finest quality and last a lifetime. All my tools are German made and I just bought a Puma knife which is German made. Most products made in China are cheap and don't last but a short while. I would rather spend more and get a product that lasts forever.

Answer 6

I am an Engineer in Australia my company employed Cruppe Engineering to design some very large pulley drives for a Brown Coal mine and we had to alter them to get oil into the bearings ~~

Answer 7

it was all made up of Jew's dead body.
Hitler made all German products.





German products are always in good quality, long-lasting and reliable. but you gotta pay it 5x the price.



comparing to chinese products which only lasts for 1 second!!

Answer 8

And dont forget the tanks

Answer 9

if its german... its "stiff"!! haha! get it??