Foreign Fittings: Is the Gamble Worth the Price?

Every few years, foundries from as far away as Communist China attempt to dump their versions of no-hub fittings in the American market, creating price breaks that many wholesalers and contractors see as too good to pass up. After all, they say, a fitting is a fitting, right? Why not go for the cheapest alternative available? Before you decide to put your reputation (and your checkbook) on the line to save a few dollars on offshore fittings, consider the following:

1. Most foreign foundries have no legal presence in the US and don't back their products. It's true. Many, if not most, of the foreign fittings finding their way into wholesalers' inventories are made by foundries for whom fittings are just another commodity product to be dumped wherever they can find a buyer. Most manufacturers don't even know what these things called "fittings" are to be used for. None of the foundries we know about seem prepared to back their product if a problem is found during or after installation. Their marketing strategy is to sell their fittings for as long as their inventories hold out, then abandon their customers to fend for themselves in dealing with any problems. Since they have no legal presence in the US, forcing them to comply with even basic tenets of business ethics is impossible. Bottom line: foreign fittings are not produced by foundries with any long-term commitment to the American plumbing supplies market. Their focus is short term. Is yours?

2. Many foreign fittings are marked with fictitious names intended to mislead the buyer. Reports from the field indicate that many foreign fittings are actually stamped or labeled incorrectly in a deceptive attempt to pass for industry-approved products. Many fittings carry the insignia of recognized American or international standards bodies when in fact these bodies have not listed or approved these substandard fittings for distribution. In attempting to track the source of these fittings down, investigations often get bogged down in a maze of foreign corporations often protected by their governments. To compound the problem, any given foreign fitting may be made by as many as seven different offshore foundries and, since they're all mislabeled with the same fictitious imprints, there's no way to trace a problem back to the offending company. Efforts at finding the sources of these fittings in an effort to file complaints turn out to be futile, and there is no way to validate manufacturers' claims concerning quality and product reliability. If these producers wanted a visible, responsible presence in the American market, why have they chosen to label their products with fabricated names?

3. Quality of foreign fittings is inconsistent at best. Without valid quality data concerning the raw materials and casting methods used to produce foreign fittings, wholesalers and contractors are left without any assurances that the product being used will meet even minimal serviceability standards. Again, if problems occur, where do you turn for satisfaction? Do you have the resources to chase an errant foundry half-way around the world? CISPI products undergo third party testing and evaluation to assure quality. Foreign fittings do not.

4. Foreign foundries do not provide the same employee safeguards. Chinese foundries ignore human rights. That might sound heavy-handed and offensive, but it's true. The basic values that Americans take for granted are completely ignored in Communist China and other parts of Asia. The dollars you save when buying foreign fittings are taken right out of the wages and benefits not paid to foreign workers. They can't come from anyplace else. American foundries like AB&I operate at the highest levels of efficiency, outcompeting foundries around the world on a level playing field.

5. Foreign foundries aren't subject to environmental regulations. We've all seen video of smoke-spewing factories in third world countries, and know that the pollution being created doesn't stay in the host country - it's carried downstream in the rivers and air currents and ends up in neighboring countries and the oceans. That pollution affects us all. While the ability to ignore environmental concerns enables these foundries to produce cheaper products, at least in the short term, the long term cost to the environment is unacceptable. The goal of these companies is to sell their product as cheaply as possible, without adequate regard to quality, the environment and worker safety. Is this the kind of business you want to support? Is it really worth saving a few dollars?

American foundries like AB&I work hard to produce the quality you've come to expect from a domestic company committed to the long-term health of the plumbing supplies market. But our commitments don't stop there. We've also seen the damage irresponsible environmental attitudes can cause, and the pain and suffering that result from inadequate worker safeguards and a "disposable labor" mentality. We don't want any part of that. Do you?

Is the gamble worth the price? Only you can decide, but remember to consider all the implications of your decision to buy foreign fittings. You may well be asked to stand behind a problem if one should occur. Are you confident your offshore supplier will do the same? Are their products accurately labeled? Who actually produced the material you're considering buying, and how much air and water pollution was produced to enable a cheap buy on iron fittings? Think about all these things before buying. Then buy the best. Buy American. Keep the dollars at home.