Press the reset button and Saab espresso cups
The good news right at the beginning. Yes, things are moving forward with our Saab espresso cups! But actually you could move the Sunday column to the Covid-19 category, because nothing is going as originally planned. But aren't difficulties also opportunities for something new?
The plan was simple. Choose espresso cups, approve, and have them printed. From now on, nothing would stand in the way of happy, morning Saab Espresso moments. It wasn't that simple because there was something that wasn't on my radar. A phenomenon is spreading in the country that I would call Covid fatigue.
A kind of exhaustion symptom that runs across society.
My in-house print shop, which has been open to all Saab stories for years, is affected. She surprised with a kind of disinterest. There is no sense of any desire for the project. I blame it on the Covid symptom and give up in exasperation. After all, there should be alternative suppliers, so I'll start looking.
You have to know that I always value local production. Happy to pay a little more, buy it in Germany. It's not easy with the espresso cup project. The cups usually come from China, where printing is also done, and as a result the prices are mercilessly low.
Even after the 10th search I find any provider who makes it a few cents cheaper than the previous one. But do I want that? Produced under unclear conditions and transported halfway around the world for a few cents less?
Press the reset button!
Hand on heart, what is this actually about? Not about cheap, not about profit, but about producing something that is valuable and fun. The old, traditional Saab partners still have cups from the golden era. Back when Saab had something produced in Europe, maybe even in Germany, for some money. The cups are now around 30 years old and they still have their value.
Using them is a pleasure, you can still feel the quality from back then today.
The Saab espresso cup project should also stand in this tradition. Something that someone will still be happy to use and enjoy in 30 years' time. No random promotional stuff. It should be produced sustainably and C02-neutral, the delivery routes have to be short. As a result, a German manufacturer will receive the order and deliver a product that will not be just any espresso cup.
But in the venerable Saab Scania tradition, something that develops the style of that time and is very special.
The approximate schedule is already in place. The prototype could be ready by the end of February, and if things go well, the cups will follow in late March or early April. And if this project goes well, coffee cups will be added in the second half of the year, which will again go well with Saab. Because the Swedes are generally a coffee-loving people.
What's happening on the blog in the coming week?
I have prepared a balanced menu of culture, cars and money for the subscribers.
- Culture
To have something Rainer Werner Fassbinder and the Theater am Turm (TAT) to do with Saab? An excursion into Frankfurt's cultural history.
- drive
Who drives better? Final comparison between Saab 9-5 and Saab 9000.
- Money
Market check Saab 9-4X. SUV in small series. How affordable is that?
The next week will be fine. If we do not let ourselves be infected by the Covid fatigue, courageously press the reset button and look ahead. Even if it won't be easy, it's in our hands!
@ StF,
that is of course correct. “Breakaway provinces” with a democratic system should not be sanctioned.
If I'm not mistaken, there is no longer any confusion. There is “Made in China” and “Made in Taiwan”.
I haven't read the subtleties and local sensitivities (Made in the Peoples Republic of and so on) on any product for a long time ...
For me, Taiwan is simply Taiwan and I hope they stay with us.
What to look out for when talking about China is there are two of them. Once as a people's republic and then as a republic, even if we probably call the latter Taiwan.
And even if the island Chinese weren't and are not good people per se, they have made significant progress. It's still Asia and the fact that they don't exactly have our values is in the nature of things.
Of course, you can still question whether you shouldn't buy anything from the Chinese because of this. I would rather say buy from the 'right' Chinese if you want something from this corner of the world and you have a choice. Of course, it still makes sense not to let porcelain cart halfway around the planet when there are more sustainable alternatives. Just my 2 cents.
Human rights / freedom of the press and freedom of expression / democracy / decent working conditions / separation of powers / rule of law / no death penalty etc. etc.
Yes, exactly, Tom, Schwarzer Schwede and Volvaab are absolutely right: Because none of this is the case, one shouldn't get involved in business with China and Russia (!!). For this reason, I could and cannot win the recently mentioned Muller Spyker engagement via oligarchic power and monets (which then “surprisingly” did not flow) any more than Chinese cars with the sticker “Volvo” or (maybe also one more day) with the sticker “Saab” on it. There is no question that the Chinese, as the inventors of the same, can also produce high quality porcelain.
@Tom The attitude fits and it hits the point. Today at SPON there was again something new to read about China and the last agreement with the EU. Apparently one assumes that China will not stick to it one way or another because it has broken all previous treaties.
I honestly wonder what kind of world is that?
@ Tom,
that is of course the best of all possible reasons. This is exactly why I don't see a new Volvo in front of my house.
I even suppress the old and almost innate reflex (I grew up in the back seat of a Volvo) to take a closer look at the newest and younger models.
Chinese corporations can use Swedish (cars) and Swedish corporations can use Chinese (use deficits in awareness of democracy, human rights, environment, working conditions and quality to their own advantage).
Trust, look who?
It's nice that a blog like this thinks about such aspects.
Good idea! I think cups from Germany are great, I would also be enough from Europe. I'm curious what the cups look like.
Thank you for the push to start the week!
For the reasons mentioned ...
I'm all about Aero-93 and Tom. In addition, I have had incredibly bad experiences with glass and porcelain from China.
Large red wine glasses from a Swedish furniture store were under such tension that they all shattered in the hand when washing up or drying. It was essentially disposable tableware - far too expensive.
For about 15 years I have only been using sustainable glass, crockery and cutlery from D&F - in other words, almost nothing comes into my house anymore. What is there is simple, beautiful and it lasts. The difference in price?
In any case, the category is inexpensive and the bottom line is even “cheaper”.
@Volvaab Driver In fact, China delivers the quality that the customer orders and pays for. China can also be of high quality without a problem.
The real problem for me is the increasing oppression of minorities and the democracy movement, as well as the violation of human rights and the restriction of the freedom of the press. I would like to do without these sources of supply, at least for our common Saab passion.
Saabized - again a new word for the Duden. I think I like that. What will the cups look like, is there a teaser or a few additional details?
If C taught us one thing, it was this: LOCAL deserves its chance!
Well, there is a crockery / porcelain history in D! So feel free to ask there. The reasons are given above. 😉 I'm looking forward to it!
PS: a friend of mine has stickers made of her art and then sticks them on the dishes. Burn in the kiln, done. The dishes always come from D or F.
@ Aero-93 The porcelain comes from Germany and the manufacturer saabizes it directly in the factory according to our wishes. That will be fine - I feel that 🙂