Due in part to the tariffs on aluminum, enthusiast case manufacturer, CaseLabs, has shut down.
It happened quite abruptly, too. Their caselabs.net site, linked in their Twitter profile, has been up and down while I've been writing this post; their store page, while it can load in a browser, will not accept and further orders. In fact, some existing orders are expected to be canceled. They believe that they can ship all the orders for individual parts, but some of their backlog of full cases will not.
Obviously, this sucks for everyone involved. Some of their cases, while on the expensive side to say the least, looked interesting, particularly in terms of customization. I’m looking at one that had the option for both front-panel HDMI and USB type C.
No specifics have been announced about their bankruptcy and liquidation plan.
From their site
[quote]The
From their site
[quote]The tariffs have played a major role raising prices by almost 80%[/quote]
ouch
Plus shortages, pushing them
Plus shortages, pushing them to have a longer backlog than expected.
Just an excuse. Let’s not
Just an excuse. Let’s not forget that CaseLabs has had supply issues for nearly 3 years now. They FINALLY resumed taking custom orders back on 10/20/2016 (they shut them down months before that) … even before Trump was elected.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/380-case-labs/1614114-caselabs-custom-orders-open-again.html
Blaming Trump for this is just an excuse. Poor management on CaseLabs part is the REAL issue here.
While that may be true, trump
While that may be true, trump made it so that it would be impossible for them to get caught up. So in the end, while Caselabs may have initially been to blame, it is still Fuhrer Cheez Ballz fault.
47knucklehead, as in the
47knucklehead, as in the Harley? As in Harley that just moved a factory out of the US due to Trump tariffs? Drink beer? The only US Aluminum beer keg manufacturer just closed too. Trump sucks. Trump supporters suck. Unamerican pieholes every one of you.
On top of that those
On top of that those motorcycle Harley Pan-Head Dumpster supporters source their Dump T-shirts from outside the US. Really Dump is just doing this to distract from all that Putintain legal issues that surround his adminstration. The entire US has become a bad reality TV nightmare of non-scripted insanity.
Now Dump’s got us in a trade war and any companies that are just hanging on by a thread will not survive. Maybe some of the Caselabs folks can go on to create their own Case Company because Dump sure does have some experience with making his own personal share of company bankruptcies. Dump will cost those wrapped in leather morons more jobs that he will ever create, but they will still support the Dumpster.
Harley needs to be done with the hogs and move on to wherever the business is around the world just like most companies. The only reason to bring jobs back to the US is if the production can be sufficiently automated because that can justify any local production where wages are too high. It’s not like the plants have to be fully automated to keep production in the US, or other high wage countries, they only have to be automated enough to offset the cost of labor in any higher wage markets.
All eyes should remain focused on the Dumpster because it’s a burning load of horse hockey that’s no good for anything but bait and switch with that mad grifter in the Whitehouse.
I’ve bought multiple cases
I’ve bought multiple cases from CL at this point. They always give you a lead time for when your case is going to be done. In my situation they’ve always met that time frame.
These cases aren’t mass produced. They’re semi custom builds done in small runs. 30 to 60 days for delivery is reasonable.
Have you ever bought anything from them at all?
I’m sure aluminum prices play
I’m sure aluminum prices play a part, but I also bet that cheap Chinesium cases from Thermaltake are also contributing to the pricing out of more expensive cases from Caselabs.
Hopefully China gets rid of their protectionist tariffs and hopefully they stop subsidizing their industries.
Aluminum tariff is 10% and
Aluminum tariff is 10% and CaseLabs folds … “Chinesium cases” are made from steel, which has a 25% tariff, and they are ok?
As I said elsewhere, sounds more like bad management and business choices than a tariff/supply issue.
You don’t know how tariffs
You don’t know how tariffs work do you? The Chinese made cases won’t be subject to a tariff, they’re not being shipped into the US as raw steel. That’s what the steel and aluminum tariff are on, raw material.
So Caselabs had to pay an extra 10% at least for the sheet aluminum they use. The Chinese cases are finished products and don’t have a tariff on them.
I’m sorry, but blaming this
I’m sorry, but blaming this on the tariffs is just a joke. I own a manufacturing company that uses steel and aluminum and my costs have not gone up 80%. Further, the tariff on aluminum is only a 10%, STEEL is 25%. Further, there is a process to get EXEMPTIONS for products from the tariffs.
Also, if CaseLabs goes belly up because of just one failed order, that is more of a testimony on management than production.
Finally, let’s not forget that this is nothing new. CaseLabs shut down their custom orders for many months and only reopened them on 10/20/2016. Since then they also have had long lead times on stock orders.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/380-case-labs/1614114-caselabs-custom-orders-open-again.html
They have been having problems, well before the tariff went into effect or even was mentioned (or even Donald Trump was elected President), so in effect blaming him or the 10% aluminum tariff is just intellectually dishonest.
It’s well known that pretty
It’s well known that pretty much every computer case manufacturer is working on razor thin margins. That even a small increase in material costs would be the nail in the coffin for a company that was already struggling to compete with overseas manufacturers is no surprise.
That being said, I have no doubts that the tariffs are the reason that killed them off. They may have been treading water prior but 10-25% is no small increase and there was no way they were going to be able to pass that on to consumers.
Tariffs lead to still higher
Tariffs lead to still higher prices due to inefficiencies in the supply chain. If the tariff drives enough foreign suppliers to sell their product elsewhere, then local buyers start competing more for the remaining supply, which drives up price.
What a bunch of
What a bunch of Ninny-Libtard-BS!~ RIP Case labs. Your management now has more time to occupy Wall street.
Why don’t you get out of you
Why don’t you get out of you grandmother’s basement and start a business so you have some idea of what is involved in running one?
Seems like this excuse
Seems like this excuse doesn’t pass the sniff test. Wish someone at pcper would add a bit of objective analysis to their claims of 80% price increases being the cause for the failure, but I think they tend to agree with the misleading narrative being sold by the failure of caselabs.
You want objective? Well, you
You want objective? Well, you got it.
“Due in part to the tariffs on aluminum, enthusiast case manufacturer, CaseLabs, has shut down.”
Due In Part. Reading comprehension 101. Altering the narrative further to suit your bizarrely fragile political leanings is not the same as objectivity.
Company has been in business
Company has been in business since 1971 pretty sure that makes the reptards claim of bad mgmt pure bs.