# Manufacturing Power Strips in Korea **URL:** \ **Category:** Tracking with Closeups\ **Tags:** korea, electricity, manufacturing\ **Created:** [30 July 2023 13:26 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/manufacturing-power-strips-in-korea/3538 "2023-07-30T13:26:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![johnwalker](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/user_avatar/scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/johnwalker/32/17415_2.png) [@johnwalker](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/johnwalker)\ **Post date:** [30 July 2023 13:26 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/manufacturing-power-strips-in-korea/3538/1 "2023-07-30T13:26:55Z")
[![](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d22dbd3687bff3c0496ae6ba9257e949baeda7ae.jpeg "안전한 전자제품 사용을 위한 필수품! 멀티탭 만드는 과정. 한국의 멀티콘센트 공장 / Amazing Korean power strip factory") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBpZveBgKRE) There is no narration. Turn on subtitles for English descriptions of the manufacturing steps. South Korea uses the German “[Schuko](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuko)“ (Type F, CEE 7/5) power socket for grounded outlets and the “[Europlug](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug)” (Type C, CEE 7/16) socket for non-grounded outlets. An ungrounded Europlug-equipped power cord may be plugged into either socket type. Mains power in South Korea is 220 volt, 60 Hz. ---
**Author:** ![civilwestman](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/user_avatar/scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/civilwestman/32/25_2.png) [@civilwestman](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/civilwestman)\ **Post date:** [30 July 2023 13:32 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/manufacturing-power-strips-in-korea/3538/2 "2023-07-30T13:32:32Z")
I have had generally good experiences with “Made in Korea” products. ---
**Author:** ![Mooselake](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/user_avatar/scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/mooselake/32/5958_2.png) [@Mooselake](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/Mooselake)\ **Post date:** [30 July 2023 15:40 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/manufacturing-power-strips-in-korea/3538/3 "2023-07-30T15:40:41Z")
I don’t think I’d last very long at an assembly line job, or leave it with all my fingers ---
**Author:** ![Gavin](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/439d5e/32.png) [@Gavin](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/Gavin)\ **Post date:** [30 July 2023 16:10 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/manufacturing-power-strips-in-korea/3538/4 "2023-07-30T16:10:54Z")
That is the first ball-peen hammer I have seen used in earnest in a long time. Seems like there is the potential for a much higher degree of automation, when compared with the extensive automated processes used in much more complicated automobile manufacturing. On the other hand, automobiles don’t cost $9.99. Maybe automation is inefficient for relatively low-cost limited production items? ---
**Author:** ![johnwalker](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/user_avatar/scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/johnwalker/32/17415_2.png) [@johnwalker](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/johnwalker)\ **Post date:** [30 July 2023 16:29 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/manufacturing-power-strips-in-korea/3538/5 "2023-07-30T16:29:40Z")
> [@Gavin](#): > > Seems like there is the potential for a much higher degree of automation, when compared with the extensive automated processes used in much more complicated automobile manufacturing. The manual assembly steps mostly involved oddly-shaped components such as the individual sockets, bus bars feeding them, and the terminals on the sockets and switches to which they are connected. In automated assembly operations, one major challenge is to properly orient components so the machines that place them can grasp and insert them correctly, and then maintain the orientation of the assembly until the next step. This can be and is done, but it has a set-up charge which is very steep and probably not economical except when making a large run of identical products. From the display at the end of the video, it looks like this small factory makes a variety of outlet strips in different configurations, each of which would require its own custom set-up for automated assembly. I did notice that operations where component orientation can be controlled, such as crimping terminals on the ends of wires or moulding plugs on cords were performed by machines, with the operator simply placing the wires in the correct orientation. ---
**Author:** ![eggspurt](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/user_avatar/scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/eggspurt/32/3686_2.png) [@eggspurt](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/eggspurt)\ **Post date:** [31 July 2023 14:07 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/manufacturing-power-strips-in-korea/3538/6 "2023-07-31T14:07:17Z")
There was a good interview with the founder of Belkin - and he spoke about the need to move manufacturing offshore in the 90s: > **[Belkin International: Chet Pipkin](https://www.npr.org/2019/05/10/722148754/belkin-international-chet-pipkin)** > > Chet Pipkin was the kind of kid who loved to take things apart and put them back together. As a young man in the early 1980s, he started hanging out in mom-and-pop computer shops, where he realized he could meet a growing need by selling the cables...