MATRIXSYNTH: Moog Music Announcement: 25% Tariff on Chinese Goods Threatens our Jobs


Friday, June 29, 2018

Moog Music Announcement: 25% Tariff on Chinese Goods Threatens our Jobs



via Moog Music:

"Dear Moog Family,

We need your help.

A U.S. tariff (import tax) on Chinese circuit boards and associated components is expected to take effect on July 6, 2018.

These tariffs will immediately and drastically increase the cost of building our instruments, and have the very real potential of forcing us to lay off workers and could (in a worst case scenario) require us to move some, if not all, of our manufacturing overseas.

There is one thing all of us can do together to try and stop this: Write to our elected officials.

We ask that you will support us by imploring our elected officials to recognize that these tariffs are seriously harmful to American businesses like Moog.

Step 1:
Copy the form letter below
Step 2:
Add recipient name to form letter from list of NC representatives
Step 3:
Legibly print and sign your name at bottom of form letter
Step 4:
Send to NC reps using the addresses and contact links below

We wholeheartedly thank you for your time and your support.

Love,
Your friends at Moog

North Carolina Congressional Representatives:

Mark Meadows
1024 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6401

Patrick McHenry
160 Midland Avenue
Black Mountain, NC 28711
(828) 669-0600


North Carolina Senators:

Richard Burr
151 Patton Avenue
Suite 204
Asheville, NC 28801
https://www.burr.senate.gov/contact/email - Choose topic “TRADE”
(828) 350-2437


Thom Tillis
185 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
https://www.tillis.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me - Choose topic “TRADE”
(202) 224-6342

Form letter below:
Dear (Congressman or Representative):

I am writing you on behalf of Moog Music, a company of 100 employee-owners, based in Asheville, North Carolina. I am urgently contacting you about the recently announced 25% tariff on Chinese goods.

In case you are not familiar with Moog, they manufacture the world’s leading analog synthesizers used by artists including but not limited to Michael Jackson,The Beatles, Radiohead, Stevie Wonder and many others.

Roughly half of the circuit boards and associated components for Moog’s instruments come from China. This tariff would significantly limit their ability to manufacture synthesizers, and could put many of their employee-owners out of a job.

As an employee-owned company with a 60-year legacy in American manufacturing, Moog constantly strives to keep a balance between domestically- and internationally-sourced parts, so that they can continue employing people from their local community in Asheville, North Carolina.

Moog sources circuit boards from US suppliers whenever possible, paying up to 30% over the price of the same circuit boards made overseas. However, whether they buy circuit boards in the US or overseas, the majority of the raw components still come from China. Therefore, Moog will be unable to avoid this substantial cost increase because of the tariffs.

These tariffs will immediately and drastically increase the cost of building Moog instruments, forcing them to lay off American workers and will require Moog to move some, if not all, of their manufacturing overseas.

I do not want to see the end of Moog’s 60-year legacy in American manufacturing. I do not want their employee-owners left without jobs. I want American workers to continue have the opportunity to support their families and their community.

I implore you to convince the President that these Chinese tariffs cause serious damage to American workers like those at Moog and to rescind them immediately.

Thank you,

(Your Name)"

13 comments:

  1. Lol. After hosting traitor Chelsea Manning at Moogfest, I hope they go out of business. Bye bye!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chelsea Manning revealed the truth about our killing of innocents in a war that has cost the US taxpayer billions, with no end in sight. Guess calling out corruption and deception by the US government is considered traitorous, yet Trump does the same thing every day and he's your hero.

      Here's a poem, just for you and the other deplorables:

      Once a nation of class
      Now a nation of crass

      Led by a fraud,
      Whom deplorables laud
      While taking it up their ass



      Delete
  2. Wow - two butthurt anons, not caring whether American businesses suffer Trump's inane trade wars, so long as someone's "sticking it to the libs". How is that useful to anyone? They build their machines in Asheville, NC, and provide American jobs - what's not to like here?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Moog should still be able to make their business work if they have good management. That is the real question. They stopped innovating and mostly rely on reissues or revising existing product which is usually the beginning of the end for most. So, they aren't burning much money on R&D. What are they burning all of the money on then? Clever in house videos? Printed boxes for shipping? Mike Adams' nice house? Didn't Asheville give Moog a juicy multi-million check few years back? Maybe it is more to do with profitability long term: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/11/arts/music/moog-music-gives-employees-more-control.html

      Delete
  3. As if we didn't already know they were crazy liberal. They should cut back in their politics, they're souring more than half of their customer base.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Moog - please stop abusing the sweat/slave communist labor in China. Create jobs in your own country. Suck it up on the parts. How can DSI produce the 16 voice polyphonic REV2 for $1999 and continue to innovate with profits? Hmm. Maybe you could hire Dave Smith to consult with your management on this?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Boo hoo hoo Moog. On a $1000 synth maybe $200 of that is electronic parts “Hencho en China”. So that would mean a $50 increase in cost. You’re going to cry and threaten to move manufacturing overseas? F.U! First the Chelsea Manning fiasco now this? Stay out of politics please! You’re killing the brand!

    ReplyDelete
  6. godspeed to moog, i hope this absurd trade war is ending before they kick the bucket, it would be a damn shame if they did

    ReplyDelete
  7. mmmmhpf, before this announce I innocently thought that moog synths where an "all american" proud product, it was basically the everyday excuse we listened to justify the super high prices (dont'buy evil behringer!!). Now, It's okay, in real world you have to manage between china sourced parts and local work, but still cannot get why the price is so high. If you say "Moog heritage" (read: marketing) I can accept it, market is also base on this, if they go with "it's impossible to produce the synths with less money, we are working for the pride" sounds like very bad company management. Sorry Moog, sounds like history is repeating.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Didn’t know they just ‘assembled’ Chinese parts in Asheville. I do know they pay their employees very little though. Might as well move the whole thing to China.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paysa.com reports a median avg salary of $72,320 per employee. A few years ago Mike Adams "sold" 49% of the company to the employees which vests over a 6 year period. I remember the article quoting it would be like a $100K valued 401K payout when/if company sold off to another owner/VC group in the future. Asheville gave the company millions when they moved. Moog asked for more money in 2014 when Moogfest lost big. Their products are sold at premium prices compared to other manufacturers. The whole company sounds like a big management problem.

      https://mountainx.com/arts/moogfest-loses-1-5-million-requests-250000-from-buncombe-county/
      https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Moogfest-Grant-Application.pdf

      Delete
  9. Hmmm... haven't heard anything from any other US-based synth manufacturers on this topic. Why Moog?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Because the tatiff does not include an entirely built product like a Behringer that comes from China already built and ready to go. It only includes the technological components needed to make it. Since Moog does ALL of its manufacturing in North Carolina and only purchase certain components, instead of entire products, from China, this tariff will effect Moog in a way that it does not effect other synth companies.

    ReplyDelete

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