ALTERNATIVE DOES NOT HAVE TO MEAN INFERIOR Just be careful
Counterfeits, pirate parts, cheap imitations... Who cares if potential buyers associate alternative products with the negative terms I mentioned above? Let us take a look at the subject of such goods and their role in our lives. Private and professional, as well. Alternative products are available in many areas of the world around us. I am not talking here about a leather belt of a well-known brand purchased at a bazaar in a tourist resort or glasses at a very bargain price bought on an auction site. A clear distinction should be made between manufacturers who, breaking the law, impersonate original brands and legitimate ones offering their products as alternatives. Does a high quality T-shirt without a label have to be worse than the one bearing the logo of a global corporation or do windscreen wipers from a supermarket have to work worse than those from a car showroom? Of course not.
A cheap printer and toner cartridges that wear out quickly, worth 1/3 of its price; a new washing machine that breaks down right after the warranty period expires, and a washing machine from the same manufacturer purchased 15 years ago that still works today; electronic equipment in which the batteries cannot be changed. How about something closer to our industry? -
Suspiciously cheap or unnaturally expensive?
Repairable electronic cards that cannot be reconditioned by the manufacturer. Looking at the above examples, are we still sure that the issue of monopolistic practices is alien to us? Large concerns tempt machines and e quip m ent at at tr ac ti ve p rice s in order to gain customers who will need expensive spare parts. They are the main source of income for machine manufacturers.
‘expensive’. Maybe the item we describe as cheap isn't cheap at all but the equivalent to which we compare it has an inflated price? Manufacturers who produce their products in comparable conditions using similar technology and components, have similar production costs. The issue of price is purely a matter of pricing policy. MAEM has always opposed fair, partnership pricing to monopolistic practices.
Let's take a moment to look at the issue of ‘cheap replacements’. What does cheap actually mean? The more appropriate term is ‘cheaper than’ and the most accurate is simply competitively priced. The term ‘cheap’ always goes hand in hand with the opposite
Market’s need Where did the alternative parts companies come from (there are quite a few, even in such a limited sector as ship fuel centrifuges)? Well, it is a natural market response to monopolistic attempts to exploit consumers. MAEM gives its customers freedom, freedom of choice, by offering an alternative to the original products. Therefore, what is monopoly and monopolistic practices? Let's look at these issues through the prism of a few examples.
4 | Winter 2021 | Made in MAEM
