MCW from Oz
As you'd know there have been a number of posts and threads here and on other forums regarding the production of GB bars and which country they've been coming from. I have been involved in a number of these posts/threads and this has been ongoing for many years.
There have been some changes in the packaging and bar labelling over the last few years that have not really made sense from a marketing point of view. For example the "Made In Australia" name is a major selling point. It is no different to seeing "Made In Germany" or "Made In The USA" on a product - you know it will be good with the odd exception.
For some reason GB changed their labelling to simply "Australia" and it could be assumed that something had changed in their manufacturing process. There was no feedback from anybody at GB and the rumour mill started. The fact that Stens in the US were no longer the GB distributor there also added fuel to the fire.
Now I am man enough to admit that in one of the threads here I had a fair crack at Gregg the other day who is now the US GB distributor. I basically said that no proof existed on GB's manufacturing in Australia and it is fair to say that even some Australian chainsaw dealers with GB accounts were unsure of what was going on at GB.
No doubt Gregg contacted GB in Australia regarding my posts and all of a sudden Michael Kennedy who is the managing director of GB in Australia has joined AS and set the record straight in "The All Aussie Dribble Thread". He has offered me a tour of the GB Australian manufacturing plant which I unfortunately can't take on at this stage (being an 8 hour drive!) and has outlined exactly what is going on there. He set me straight on a number of things and I've never been happier to be proven wrong! I use GB Pro Tops and Ti bars regularly however everything I use is old stock - they are some of the best bars on the market and I have 24" and 32" Pro Tops here with around 500 hours on them which have a lot of life left in them yet. To hear that they are still being made in Australia is awesome!
Therefore...
The GB harvester bars, the GB Ti bars, and the GB Pro Tops are STILL being made in Australia. They have NEVER been made overseas!!!
Their consumer line of bars are not and are coming from China. This isn't uncommon and basically all consumer priced bars are now coming out of Asia with Stihl being the exception (there may be others?).
The fact that somebody from GB has finally had the time to respond to AS member's questions and concerns is great. I have always stated that I'd really like to be proven wrong on GB and I finally have been
I'd like to apologise to Gregg but would also like to thank him for prompting somebody from GB to come in and set the record straight. I've quoted some of Michael's posts below which outlines a number of points.
This was Michael's response to a question about their packaging...
Michael Kennedy said:
It's a funny question because the cover (sleeve) on the Ti and ProTops is the only part of it that was not made in Australia.
The sleeves have always been printed in China. Although the bearings are from Switzerland.
MCW Swiss bearings explains why you can't bloody kill the nose on a Pro Top!!! I don't think anybody would complain about Swiss bearings being used.
This was the response to me regarding GB's harvester bars which I'd always been told were produced in Australia...
Michael Kennedy said:
Thanks Matt, it's true in Australia here we are mainly focussed on harvester bars because that's where we can still compete. Also the extra long chainsaw bars, double ended mill bars, all Lucas Mill bars and any other specialist bars are a big part of the Aussie business. In Australia we're not too fussed about competing with the consumer range of bars because it simply isn't economical to do so. However, we do still have a good list of loyal dealers that keep the chainsaw side of it ticking along. As I explained to Gregg and as I will explain again here the cost of producing the Ti bars is quite prohibitive but if people are prepared to pay for the quality and if the margins are still there we will continue to do so. I cannot be any clearer than this - Ti & ProTop bars have never been made anywhere else but Australia.
MCW Finally this was Michael's response to a web link from a Chinese company who said they had entered into a business relationship with GB a few years ago (Tom Beerens owns GB)...
Michael Kennedy said
Qirui Tools do not and will not make GB Arbor Series bars. These bars and noses are stock left over from a failed partnership between Tom Beerens and Wang Wei Ming (owner of Qirui Tools). They set up a company and factory together to make consumer bars and for whatever reason they had a falling out. Qirui got left holding the stock and Tom has set up his own factory in China where he has lived for the past 3 years or so. Qirui has been trying to offload these bars for quite some time now.
MCW Good stuff Gregg with your new business and your customers can rest assured that if they buy a Ti bar or Pro Top it is definitely Made In Australia and that they'll be buying one of the best bars ever made with a nose sprocket that can't be killed!
Topic: GB Bars (Read 1922 times)
July 22, 2012, 10:36:25 am
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