Tannoy plan to close Scottish plant and move To China

[kl122002]

Just received this news :
From What hifi : http://www.whathifi.com/news/tannoy-announces-possible-closure-its-scotland-loudspeaker-plant

Tannoy announces possible closure of its Scotland loudspeaker plant
29th April 2016 by Jonathan Evans

Parent company Music Group intends to make 70 employees redundant, and move loudspeaker production to a new facility in China...

In a week where we published a glowing five-star review of Tannoy's Eclipse 3 floorstanders, Music Group has announced its intention to make around 70 Tannoy employees redundant from its Coatbridge plant in Scotland. These redundancies will mean the closure of the plant, with the production of Tannoy speakers moved to Music’s new manufacturing facility in Zhongshan, China. R&D and marketing activities will be moved to Music’s Innovation Centre in Manchester, UK.

Music Group, based in Denmark, but with offices around the world, acquired Tannoy, a name synonymous with loudspeakers and a company celebrating its 90th birthday this year, in April 2015.

The announcement was made to employees today, 29th April. Peter Sommer, senior vice-president Lifestyle & Home, said: “Following an extensive evaluation of our operational and financial structure, we have taken the difficult decision to propose that the staff in our Tannoy manufacturing and office facility in Coatbridge are dismissed as redundant, which, if confirmed would see the facility closed.”

Tannoy sales, orders and deliveries remain, we are told, unaffected.

I really don't any Prestige or higher models being made in China. Tannoy 's Prestige is famous is because of its handmade quality from UK.
I have seen many UK hifi stuff being moved to China for making but the QC are really disappointing. These stuff have so many minor defects. My last Whafedale Denton has problem with the grille : sharp cutting edge (from the inner frame) and many glue marks. That has almost driven me mad and request the dealer to replace them.

 

[Splatter Pak]

Very sad.

 

[leesonic]

Sad, very sad. A brand so mighty, their name became synonymous with public address systems. Like "listen to the announcement over the Tannoy". A bit like Hoover was (at least in the UK) when you would hear people say "do the Hoovering".

The article says they are owned by Music Group now. If they were still owned by themselves, this probably would not be happening.

Lee.

 

[kl122002]

I don't blame MUSIC Group if they are really at the hard time of cash.
But it is a very sad news when a famous brand turns down a label only.

 

[twiiii]

Its a shame they are choosing China, I would think with all the issues on the Continent they would have tried eastern Europe first. There so many employment issues to be solved. I hate tosee any long established company either in Britain Canada or the US moving to China. China quality control isn't what it could be.

 

[kl122002]

I believe there must be some kind of relations. It seems to me that there are already too many hifi gears have shifted the production line to far east. It might be a good way to keep the product price low but they are leaking their techniques to other place.

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

Sad. Celestion did the same thing a few years ago. Their MI drivers "looked" the same...but they no longer sounded the same.

 

[whoaru99]

China quality control isn't what it could be.

Ultimately, QC is still the responsibility of the brand owner QC or corporate QC.

Yes, the mfg plant is expected perform to the quality expectations but, if they're not, it's still the brand/corporate QC that should be rattling the cage to ensure quality is maintained.

 

[Sandstrom]

And those, no doubt, very skilled employees in Scotland that will now be looking for work with very unique and specialized knowledge...can't imagine there is a lot of opportunity for that kind of fabrication/manufacturing left in the UK.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

I dislike this highly, the decline of a famous British maker, the loss of real Tannoy build quality. A sad occasion!

 

[cleverdick]

I'm sorry, but I shan't lament this move. It seems to me that much of their production has been done in China for some time anyway. Certainly at the lower end of the market at least, the quality is already really poor. For example, their LF drivers have a PLASTIC basket! And of course, their reflex designs (along with too many others) are only good for sinewaves.

Even in the 1970s and '80s, the classic dual-concentric designs tended to get pretty damning reviews - the saving grace being high SPL output which was useful in some professional applications.

 

[kl122002]

Another interview from whathifi :
http://www.whathifi.com/features/tannoy-after-90-years-what-does-future-hold

------------
B&W, KEF also keep their top-line speakers being made in their original place. Why Tannoy close the Scotland plan for just only 70 skilled workers?

 

[matteos]

I'm sure some business consultant got a fat pay day and moved on to ruining the next company. There will be a point, maybe in a decade those Chinese laborers will be able to demand a decent wage since so much manufacturing has gone there and the cost savings will be gone. In the meantime skilled western workers are collecting dole money. Only hope is a young start up moves in the scene and scoops up that talent, but that's not likely. Seems like many western companies sell abroad or ship abroad for an immediate payday and while they own that company everybody who had worked there has built that company. It seems so short sighted to me and bad for our economies long term.

 

[john111/LZ]

Another fine British product gone East.The fast buck imperium-we are seemingly doomed

 

[slimecity]

It seems so short sighted to me and bad for our economies long term.

Amen to that. The fallacy of the "benefits" of free trade.

 

[StuartB]

Don't you think that we are partly to blame.....shopping on cost alone? How many of the posters have bought English or US built products?

 

[john111/LZ]

My main amp-british
My TT-british
Speakers-british and italian[plus a pair of canadian paradigms]
CD-main player british
Sub-british

i admit buying a few little chinese T-amps for modding purposes[no in UK makes em,except Bantam]and i still use and love my japanese sony DAT machines.

lf the effect of"free trade"is to drive down wages and conditions of work you cant expect people not to seek the cheaper options

 

[whoaru99]

Yes, more companies should take the high road and refuse to adapt to the current business climates. At least then they could hold their heads proudly high while trying to justify dwindling revenue.

 

[Splatter Pak]

My main amp-british
My TT-british
Speakers-british and italian[plus a pair of canadian paradigms]
CD-main player british
Sub-british

i admit buying a few little chinese T-amps for modding purposes[no in UK makes em,except Bantam]and i still use and love my japanese sony DAT machines.

lf the effect of"free trade"is to drive down wages and conditions of work you cant expect people not to seek the cheaper options

I own three sets of British speakers, two British amps and love them all. As my father discerned many years ago, if this goes on, how will the laid-off western workers be able to buy the low-cost eastern products?

 

[slimecity]

Yes, more companies should take the high road and refuse to adapt to the current business climates. At least then they could hold their heads proudly high while trying to justify dwindling revenue.

I'm actually quite surprised it hasn't happened in NZ yet with Perreaux and Plinius. To my knowledge that gear is still made here. Maybe the audio market is the exception as moving production offshore has affected pretty much every other industry here, and still local prices for almost everything is skyhigh.