Re: [Harp-L] The story of the Seydel steel reed

[Frank Evers <frank@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi

There are a few of your statements i'd like to comment:

Am Samstag, 19. April 2008 schrieb David Payne:
> after reunification, the West Germans went
> east in much the same way the U.S. carpetbaggers went south after
> the War Between the States.

Thats actually how many East-Germans see it today, however thats not 
even half the truth. After reunification it turned out, that there 
was nothing, nothing, nothing in the eastern german economy that 
would even nearly be able to compete with western standards. The 
infrastructure poor in a way it hadn't been in the 1960s in western 
germany. The whole country had been economically sruggling for 
decades and it was absolutly broke in 1989. This was not fault of the 
DDR inhabitants, but unfortunately they had to face the consequences.

Most things that even allow modern economy standards had to be build 
up from scratch. An immense amound of money had to be invested to 
improve the situation and the most part of it had to come from 
western (mostly, but not only west german) investors. So many in the 
east felt like being overrolled by western capitalists. However there 
was no other way to do it. Now after nearly 20 years unemployment is 
still a big problem in eastern germany, but things get better slowly, 
but continously.

> Hohner
> has been a subsidiary of the KHS Investment Group in Taiwan for 10
> years now.  That's not meant as a slight to any of the talented
> people Hohner has in Germany or Richmond, that's how it is, no
> matter how you look at it, Hohner is a Taiwanese-owned subsidiary
> with production facilities in China and Germany.

Thats not really the truth either. Hohner is a german company owned by 
investors from taiwan. Development, strategic planing, day to day 
buisness and the heart of production is all still in Trossingen. 
Trossingen ist not just a production facility, it's the very heart of 
Hohner! It probably wouldn't work any other way. 

-- 
Gruß,Frank