In a much earlier post I commented on Champion Redman Genesis use of products from China in the building of their modular and manufactured homes(See 3/31/2007 3:27pm entry/photos "What's inside your wall or under your floor").
As a follow-up, in light of the recent recalls of products made in China, it seems appropriate to take a closer look. In our case, we had to replace the rocker style light switches and the outlets. Additionally, the plumbing fixtures were supposed to be Moen (See entry/photos 4/24/2007) and were actually cheap knockoffs from China. We never thought to look at the breakers in the electrical panel, we just assumed they were good.
It turns out that over the last two years, the maker of Square D brand circuit breakers have recovered about half a million of defective circuit breakers that were probably imported from China...without the permission or knowledge of Square D. The problem was more than the loss of income resulting from customers buying the fake breakers, the real problem was that the breakers did not trip when overloaded, posing a threat of fire and explosion. Red flags are flying everywhere, melamine in pet food and lead paint on toys. The cheap labor in China combined with the lack of regulation and oversight raises concern as to the quality of products being used by Champion Genesis Redman in assembling modular homes.
There is legitimate concern from the building industry and regulators about products from China. The quality of the product is entirely dependent on how much the buyer wants to pay and we all know how important the bottom line is to Champion Genesis Redman. The recent recalls point out that low prices sometimes come at the expense of quality and safety.
Some say, "so what, does it really matter?" I for one, think it does matter. In our case, we had to replace defective switches and outlets at our expense because Champion Genesis Redman used cheap defective products from China. We also had to replace wiring that was undersized for the circuit. The valves in the three toilets all malfunctioned, were made in China and had to be replaced. So you see, it does matter when the factories in China turn out cheap, defective products that match the requirements and specifications of Champion Genesis Redman's bottom line.
