Mexray - 12-6-2005 at 10:33 PM
....seems like when theres a 'vacuum', something moves in to take it's place...only it sounds like Clark was King, and it may take a while to fill his
'shoes'...too bad.
It was a similar situation with our Battery Mfg business, some years ago. In the beginning, you gave everyone breathing masks and started casting
lead plates for the batteries...later, EPA comes in and says you need better masks - OK, that's fine, you don't want to harm anyone...then EPA comes
in and says the masks aren't good enough, and you have to have air scrubbers to help clean any lead dust from the area - OK, that's fine - off you go
to your banker to try and get loans for a few 100K $'s for the scrubbers...a few years later, EPA comes back and says you now need newer, cleaner
scrubbers - the old ones won't do anymore - OK, that's fine, now where do you go to get the Millions of $ to fund this 'new' regulation? A small
operation can't fund these kinds of expenses, adding to the cost of the product, and still remain competitive...so you STOP making batteries and buy
them from the BIG GUYS...you know, the one's with the off-shore plants that don't have such stringent laws governing their manufacturing...
I'm not necessarily anti-EPA, and I know, that's progress, it's just that 'progress' really hurts the smaller business sometimes, and we do need to
protect our workers, etc., etc...I don't know the 'answer', but the progressive 'solution' still hurts!
As our society becomes more complex, this sort of 'squeeze' seems to become more pervasive...it's not easy to make stuff here at home in the USA,
anymore!
You nailed it, Mexray-------right on---
Barry A. - 12-6-2005 at 11:03 PM
bajaandy - 12-7-2005 at 11:08 AM
I couldn't believe it when I heard the news yesterday, but facts are facts. Clark foam is done.
One shaper I talked to put a positive spin on it, saying that now there might be more competition in the market for blanks, whereas before Clark could
just about kill any competition that came along. Who knows, maybe someone will figure out how to start a manufaturing plant somewhere in Baja. Baja
Foam???
soulpatch - 12-7-2005 at 11:12 AM
Pretty heavy, especially when you read about his employees w/the Big C.... somebody unlike myself will come up with some better way hopefully.
jide - 12-7-2005 at 03:12 PM
That's more biz for Walker.....
rpleger - 12-8-2005 at 03:32 PM
Maybe Grubby just wanted to retire.
Yes, Baja Foam Boards
oladulce - 12-9-2005 at 07:42 AM
Upon hearing this news did anyone else take inventory of their current board supply and notice that even the old delaminating ones in the rafters are
looking salvageable about now ?
bajaandy - 12-9-2005 at 09:47 AM
And I bet the ding repair shops are one part of the surf industry that will benefit from this little "hiccup" in the surf biz.
soulpatch - 12-9-2005 at 10:26 AM
I just used my foodsaver to vacuum seal all the styrafoam peanuts from boxes shipped to me into the shape of my latest board. Nutty, huh? Of course,
it's only 12" wide.
Sallysouth - 12-9-2005 at 10:26 PM
From what I have heard, Grubby HAS to retire.
Tomas Tierra - 12-14-2005 at 10:10 AM
Time to buy stock in surf tech!!
Cincodemayo - 12-14-2005 at 10:14 AM
Here it is in a nutshell amigos.
http://www.coastlinepilot.com/front/story/32153p-47126c.html
bajabound2005 - 12-16-2005 at 09:03 AM
This article just came out - not sure that it spreads any more light on the sudden shutdown, but the price of boards has gone up!
http://www.surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/clarkfoam...
Slowmad - 2-1-2006 at 03:23 PM
Agave Shawii...grow yer own blank!