We've discussed about how  ,  ,  , are no longer made in USA, but I've noticed that my 250w GE Lucalox HPS lamp is actually made in Hungary (of all places).  DTL Photoelectric Controls used to be made in Pembroke, MA.  Manufacturing then shifted to Mexico, and then to China.  My EYE 100w Sunlux is made in China as well (but sold out of Mentor, OH.  As a matter of fact, all of my GE lamps from the '10s (Mercury and HPS) were made in Hungary... [In related news, Thomas Edison was found in XianXang while his headstone is still in the USA].  Is there any chance that President Trump will bring these jobs back where they belong, the good ole USA?

I would hope for that. However, be aware that he is not talking about the lighting industry in particular, and may direct his acts towards many other industries

I'm just hoping he INCLUDES the lighting industry.  We need lamps that are made in the USA.  If they are going to light American streets outside of American homes, they should be built by American hands or machines operated by said Americans.

Why?

For the reason I just stated.  Bring the jobs back to America.  When I install a lamp that says MADE IN CHINA, it just feels wrong, knowing that our great nation used to produce long lasting lamps.  Can you tell me that a chinese mercury lamp has lasted as long as an American made lamp.  HPS was invented here, and I remember when HPS lamps lasted 8 or more years.  Now it seems like they are relamping them every 3-4 years.  There is an HPS lamp down the street from me that has not burned out or cycled once in the 10 years that I have lived in my house.  I am staring at it right now, yet the one in front of my house, which was installed 3 years AFTER the one I mentioned, has been replaced twice. So to answer your question with a question, Why Not?  Patriotism? Bring jobs back to America.  GE is an American company.  Why are GE lamps outsourced to Hungary?

Where a lamp is manufactured has nothing to do with lamp life.  That is solely on the manufacturers and how they specify it to be done.  There are other factors out there that you don't know about such as ballast and photocell condition, electrical feed condition/issues, and so on that might be affecting things.

And to answer your question, GE is not an American company.  It is a global company.  Same with Philips, Toyota, GM, Ford, the former Sylvania/Osram, Just like the economy is now a global economy.  You may have "found" or "establish" a company in a specific country, but when it has factories and offices and what not spread out in other countries, it no longer is dedicated to that one country it was founded in.  Capitalism is kinda strange like that.  But with all that being said, I'll take a capitalistic economy over a dictatorship any day.

High pressure sodium lamps still last.  Oh sure there are a few here and there that only make it a few years, I see that myself, but in large part they continue to perform.  I install a good number of them, from 35 watt Edison base to 150 watt street/parking lot style every year.  Although thankfully we'll be converting about 6 or 7 of the 17 building parking lot lights over to LED later this year. 

And yes, they were made in china.  Is it the end of the world?  no. Not when a fixture will cost $250 each if made in China vs $500 each when made in the united states.  And for a quality and reliable fixture as well.  Again- just because something says made in China or Mexico or Hungry or Russia doesn't automatically get the stamp of "Cheap/failure" on it.  Times have changed. 

Manufacturers have their reasons for building manufacturing plants in other countries.  Cost is certainly near if not at the top of the list.  Why is cost so important?  For several very legitimate reasons.  Finding jobs for workers in our countries we live in is a good thing, but when you look at the cost of living in places like the USA and Canada, and how much $$$ we expect as workers as well as benefits and what not, it is flat out stupid compared to what people in other countries are willing to work for, just to be able to have some sort of income.  And they are no less hard working and dedicated and loyal to their work than we are.  The companies success in the WORLD is determined upon the revenue they make.  Plain and simple.  When you make more money, you make more investors, and you grow the company and you keep the board of directors and stock holders happy.  Money.  That is what it comes down to.  Money and what companies decide to do with it.  You either win in the world as a big corporation like GE is doing, by doing it the way they are doing, or you sell off, downsize, reorganize, and take a hundred steps backwards like some of our beloved brands from past have done.

Did a little more thinking, and wanted to add one or two more things.  I myself do get a bit of a sad feeling inside when I look at the packaging of a light or something else that was once commonly made in North America and now see it is made overseas.  It makes me reflect back upon more.. care free times in life.  There was (and still is) patriotic pride, and a sense of peace and stability as I would think and picture briefly in my mind's eye all those factory workers at the various factories and manufacturing plants going to work in the morning, and walking out to their cars, buses, trains, subways at the end of the day to go home after a hard day's work, yet having some sense of peace knowing they had a job and perhaps, were making a difference for their country, and perhaps, for even the world. 

Now- as companies and governments and world industry has changed, we now have people in countries where poverty was the norm, vs the exception getting a chance to make a difference for their country and the world.  Yes, we have had to adapt here in North America.  In fact I am a prime example of having to adapt.  I volunteer hundreds of hours every year to my church by doing building maintenance (thus why I get so much hands on work with lighting) but since June of last year, I have been unemployed after I foolishly left my job.  And now I am having to adapt and will be taking a part time job at the Home Depot, only paying $11.00 an hour vs the $25.00 an hour I was accustomed to previously.  I might end up having my truck repossessed, I live at home with my dear sweet old widowed mother, (who we just found out may have cancer) and I have about $18,000 in credit card debt.  But yet there are still employment opportunities out there.  I just have to be smart enough, have to educate myself enough, and have to apply myself enough to be able to go get me another good job that can support me for the rest of my life.  For many parts of the United States, we have jobs available.  They may not pay or be as glorious as these folks who make $150,000+ a year, but it is work.  We have to adapt with the times and changes, otherwise we will be left on the sidelines, cursing things we have no control over. 

I love America.  I love Canada.  I love Mexico.  I love Japan.  I love Israel.  I love Hungry.  I love China.  Why?  Because they are all good fellow human beings, just trying to do the best they can. 

RyanF40T12... I just want to say, Very Well said.  👍

And it is important to keep in mind that even if some manufacturing is returning to western countries it's never going to be what it was for example 30 years ago. All new factories are automated as high as possible so it's very unlikely that actual manufacturing has very high employment effect after construction is completed. We are not going to see huge manufacturing plants employing hundreds of people anymore, time like that is not going to return.

I don't think that there is a relation between the automation in the factories of the western countries to the fact that the products still won't last long even if they wouldn't be made in China, as today, most of the companies deliberately manufacturing the products so that they won't last as long. This is what called "Planned obsolescence", and it is one of the results of the consumerism.

We also need to keep in mind that because of environmental regulations, the types of materials such as mercury are being limited in lamps now, and I do think that contributes to lamp life.  At least for sure in fluorescents. 

We also need to keep in mind that because of environmental regulations, the types of materials such as mercury are being limited in lamps now, and I do think that contributes to lamp life.  At least for sure in fluorescents. 

You hit that nail on the head, and various energy usage compliance standards can make for some pretty interesting changes as well, and things like Rohm / tclp standards..   

We also need to keep in mind that because of environmental regulations, the types of materials such as mercury are being limited in lamps now, and I do think that contributes to lamp life.  At least for sure in fluorescents. 

No. Atleast not in Europe

Current standards compliant lamps :

-	Life k	Hg mg	Hg/Life
36W/840 Standard	20	2.5	0.125
36W/840 Long life	50	3.3	0.066
36W/840 Extra long life	90	3.3	0.037

Cheap Halophosphor lamp made for the Asia market :

-	Life k	Hg mg	Hg/Life
36W/640 ES Basic	13	9.0	0.692

Mercury is not the limiting factor for life, even for 90k lamp under current standards. And see how the longest lasting lamp is by far the most environmentally responsible choice. It would be better than the standard lamp even if it contained 9mg



The Halophosphor lamps are the most common here. They have been rated 13k since the 90s (and maybe since the 80s but i dont know). This rating is a rating of 1/2 installed lamps surviving

Up to about 2006/07 the Basic lamps were made in Germany

After that in China, in few different factories

The old lamps made it to 40-ish k hours in reality (in places that were built here in 2000, a couple years ago was the time when 1/2 of the lamps were still original. Assume they are working 10h/day 5.5d/week). The new ones last 13k hours exactly. In both cases EOL is by depleted cathode and flashing lamp



Its not a function of China/not China, but of the effort (precise Mercury content control, and some other thing that affects the life - i'd guess the Emitter) they put into the lamps

Apparently there was a decision to minimize the efforts put into the Basic lamps. As result the changes made are to put less Emitter, care less about the Mercury, and (because of labor cost and Mercury standards) move to China

when i heard about the clone bulbs such as CFL's that are made in china, i usually stay away from them, as they do catch fire when the bulb has EOL, and the built in ballast will heat up and catch fire.... the sylvania, philip, GE, have the diodes in them so when the cfl burns out, it blows the diode to prevent fire, i never did care for CFL lighting products
here's the link to the bulbs that are made in china and see how they can catch fire

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nACMIkKiTTk/SO1XGtmFdXI/AAAAAAAAAbw/EZr1UOxGbBk/s320/b2.jpg

http://f.tqn.com/y/urbanlegends/1/S/T/5/1/cfl-light-bulb.jpg
here's one that has blew up
http://synergylightingusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/cfl-catch-fire.jpg

i still have 2 CFL bulbs that are made in china, but they are going to be used on my outside lightpost in the middle of the yard so when it catches fire..... it takes the lamp fixture with it, not the house

when i heard about the clone bulbs such as CFL's that are made in china, i usually stay away from them, as they do catch fire when the bulb has EOL, and the built in ballast will heat up and catch fire.... the sylvania, philip, GE, have the diodes in them so when the cfl burns out, it blows the diode to prevent fire, i never did care for CFL lighting products
here's the link to the bulbs that are made in china and see how they can catch fire

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nACMIkKiTTk/SO1XGtmFdXI/AAAAAAAAAbw/EZr1UOxGbBk/s320/b2.jpg

http://f.tqn.com/y/urbanlegends/1/S/T/5/1/cfl-light-bulb.jpg
here's one that has blew up
http://synergylightingusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/cfl-catch-fire.jpg

i still have 2 CFL bulbs that are made in china, but they are going to be used on my outside lightpost in the middle of the yard so when it catches fire..... it takes the lamp fixture with it, not the house

Even the cheapest off-brand CFLs here, don't catch fire.