Interesting Gillette Development

Ongoing cost saving. Moving production from (Expensive) Germany to less expensive Poland (for the items with the highest intellectual property value - so Fusion) and moving the Mach3 to less expensive ZAO Petersburg Products and shipping the DE production out to (cheapest) Vietnam (If Burma or Laos were capable they'd be doing it there instead).

Basically they want to keep production of the stuff with the highest IP value in "sensible" places where there is strict institutional control, dropping it down the value chain as new higher value items are developed.

P&G are always doing this...

Incidentally ZAO Petersburg Products was a proper Soviet era factory... If Lenin himself had walked around the corner, you would not be surprised.
 
I should have clarified my question better. My mistake.

I meant why do you think they are now selling these Made in Brazil DE blades in the USA?
 
In theory the availability shouldn't change (container of DE blades from Vietnam probably has enough to keep Europe going for months if not years)

The quality is a whole different kettle of fish - although they have been making DE blades in Vietnam for at least 7 years that I know of (Gillette Superthins came in 2 variants back then - Vietnamese or Thai with little to tell between them - I like those blades a lot so bought big big big)
 
hunnymonster said:
At a guess - because theres a (near zero cost) opportunity to sell a product that they already make at a handsome profit.
Click to expand...

There is however the cost to ship them from SA to the USA. They cannot 'piggyback' them on anything coming north from SA as nothing made by them in Brazil is sold in the USA now that I know of. Gillette makes (made?) & sells their own Prestobarba line in SA. Due to draconian taxation & tariffs there the prices are exorbitant. In 2010 I paid the equivalent of $12 American for one can of Gillette shave cream in Bogota, Colombia that sells here for approx. $4!!

I think it is exploratory on their part as in the USA you cannot change the TV channel or radio station and not see or hear a Dollar Shave Club or Harry's Razors advert. They have saturated the media. Though the dent in the Gillette armour may be small for now, I think they are feeling it and reacting as such. Gillette has posted adverts touting their own shave club, but has not lowered their high prices. I think it's a failure.

As well, one of their employees posts on another forum and now & again drops some fascinating clues regarding Gillette DE blades & production in St. Pete. One clue was that the Silver Blue blade is merely the old 7 O'Clock Super Platinum (Blue Russian) renamed.
 
hunnymonster said:
...although they have been making DE blades in Vietnam for at least 7 years that I know of (Gillette Superthins came in 2 variants back then - Vietnamese or Thai with little to tell between them - I like those blades a lot so bought big big big)
Click to expand...


I tried both and the Vietnam one was for my face like shaving with a bean can lid. The Thai one (made in China I believe) was far better, but nothing stellar. Just my 2 cents.
 
The Thai market ones were made in Vietnam (when I got mine) and the Vietnamese market ones made in Shanghai... Same machines making the blades but Shanghai didn't have an automated packing line like Vietnam so the blades weren't always the same way up in the packet.

Things change all the time though. A couple of years prior all DE blades for the Asian market (outside India) were being made in Manaus, Brazil...
 
Bogeyman said:
As well, one of their employees posts on another forum and now & again drops some fascinating clues regarding Gillette DE blades & production in St. Pete. One clue was that the Silver Blue blade is merely the old 7 O'Clock Super Platinum (Blue Russian) renamed.
Click to expand...

I'd well believe it too! I've often wondered, as I'm sure many of us do, what blades are sold under different packaging. St.Petersburg produce quite an amount of makes, presumably for different markets, so I'm sure it happens. The Scanning Electron Microscopy thread on B&B only strengthened my suspicions.
 
hunnymonster said:
At a guess - because theres a (near zero cost) opportunity to sell a product that they already make at a handsome profit.
Click to expand...
I totally agree with this. Manufacturing costs are at/near a penny per blade, so at $6 for 5 blades (minus packaging & advertising costs) you're looking at roughly a 10,000% profit margin. Nothing to sneeze at even if my math is wrong.
 
Last edited:
hunnymonster said:
The Thai market ones were made in Vietnam (when I got mine) and the Vietnamese market ones made in Shanghai... Same machines making the blades but Shanghai didn't have an automated packing line like Vietnam so the blades weren't always the same way up in the packet...
Click to expand...

That makes perfect sense. Thanks for the clarification. ;)

On another note, I scored one of these 'new' Platinum Plus packs today. It contains three '3 packs' of blades & cost $5.99 before tax. The Asst. Mgr. dug them out of a tote in the back room and said they were brand new in the system and he added something about a new display. Hmmm. I will try it later tonight and give my subjective opinion FWIW.

Edited to add that the date code on the blade is "K" which is 1990.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom