Is this the new “China can’t manufacture a ball point pen”? (Which I strongly suspect they can do at this point. :)

probably_wrong 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

More like the new "America can't manufacture a grill scrubber" [1].

For those who haven't seen the video, YouTuber Destin Sandlin ("Smarter every day") tried to build a grill scrubber using 100% materials from the US and failed.

[1] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZTGwcHQfLY

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maxglute 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Ballpoint pen tips was proxy Li Keqiang used to shame PRC industry to build precision micromachining capabilities (tungsten carbide for high-end munitions etc), TISCO did it in like a year and it upgraded entire PRC metallurgy chain. US struggling to make 100% indigenized gloves 5+ years after covid... is well maybe not something new relative to US industrial decline, but certainly something else. I'm sure US can... but at what cost and all that.

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code_duck 2 hours ago | parent [-]

The article states some of the companies successfully made gloves, but customers such as hospitals considered the prices too high, which is why they're looking to the federal government to be the primary customer now.

	▲	maxglute an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Article says 1% of gloves are made in US, but US doesn't produce any of the rubber, so raw inputs not American.

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gcanyon 41 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

One interesting point is that China "can't" (more like "is significantly behind on") manufacture jet engines -- the blades are the sticking point, they are ridiculously engineered.