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https://www.bretonindustries.com/breton-military-store/ What a shame. I hope someone is buying them.
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Good vendor for Humvee covers and doors going out of business
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MississippiRifle
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Yeah probably couldn’t withstand the taxes and shutdown siege of NY. Probably het bought by someone and moved to Texas!
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Action
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Good compared to?? They quit selling to civilians a while back. So they were not a vendor for us. And if they were the only vendor, wouldn't they also be the worst vendor?
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If you are a valid reseller or non profit with a tax exempt id number, they would let you order. They got out of the retail business due to the tax collect and remitting nightmare of trying to do it nationwide.
They also sold the small part gizmos like handles and strikers etc.
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When was that? I bought 4 doors from them I'm guessing around 2016. Wasn't aware of that fact.
Action
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I don't mean 5 years ago a while back. Maybe last year?
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Okay, new to me. Bummer overall. Humvees are being phased out, guess they saw the signs and don't see the commercial potential in us.
DREDnot
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Yeah, I looked into the breton closing for a few minutes. Says they are shuttered and building and equipment is for sale.
Lots of 1 star reviews from former employees on glassdoor. My guess...the fat government contracts dried up and the whole mismanaged place imploded.
All the stuff from them in the last year or so has been shoddy quality.
Lots of 1 star reviews from former employees on glassdoor. My guess...the fat government contracts dried up and the whole mismanaged place imploded.
All the stuff from them in the last year or so has been shoddy quality.
DREDnot
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More likely...what little commercial potential we may have would not have been worth dealing with our demands for a quality product.
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They must have went downhill since I bought from them, the doors and hardware were top notch back then. Still a bummer, we're going to be left with used up old crap with decaying windows as far as doors go if we need replacements and why bother then, they'll be the same as we have. Good tops will start rising in asking price ect.
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What I read into this.... IMO, Old company since 1949. Many great products. Good contracts carried over the years. Principal founders passing on ? some technology shift away from canvas / vinyls in the military (armor up) ? failure to adjust to new products, markets, ideas? and the kids don't want to deal with it. Closing doors. We all have seen it. My guess IMO. It is ashame to see this in AMERICA. Those machine being turned off. Those Ideas, products, skills lost.
Not sure here IMO... But there is a time to fold ??
BUT I couldn't, if one made it this far in business. I would be making something with all those assets. Face masks, tent top trailers, pop up dog houses, covid shields, welding shields, homeless / space alien tents under FEMA contract 4 BIG $$$, tool bags, tonnueau covers for every pick-up truck , vinyl camper shells.... SEW up something and test the market. Got the name... Got the gear... Make something. Make U.S. great again........................
Maybe not that easy to put the band back together, CAMO
Blues Brothers.
Not sure here IMO... But there is a time to fold ??
BUT I couldn't, if one made it this far in business. I would be making something with all those assets. Face masks, tent top trailers, pop up dog houses, covid shields, welding shields, homeless / space alien tents under FEMA contract 4 BIG $$$, tool bags, tonnueau covers for every pick-up truck , vinyl camper shells.... SEW up something and test the market. Got the name... Got the gear... Make something. Make U.S. great again........................
Maybe not that easy to put the band back together, CAMO
Blues Brothers.
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Action
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Maybe GMA will start making tops again. I have always thought their stuff was better quality.
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I hate seeing it too. Exactly what my point is. Guess it's just another product that the Chinese will realize has some commercial benefit and use low wage workers/slaves/prisoners ect to make them cheap. I wonder if the Chinese are still making humvee clones, anybody know?
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Somehow we as a country need to stand up for ourselves.
We just need to say NO to buying chinese junk. I am not a rich man by any means, but I will spend a few dollars more for Made Here in America. If all of us did that, there would be more work for people who work here. I am somewhat surprised that our military still has a "made here" requirement. Happy, but amazed is more like it...
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A good example of chinese imports vs Made in America:
I needed 12 ratcheting load binders and 12 twenty foot 3/8 chains. I bought the Made in America to be sure that the DOT man won't park me, but more importantly to me, I got the best I could get. If something gets away from being tied down to a trailer - it won't be because cheap chinese steel killed somebody!
If anybody is curious, that decision to buy American steel cost me about 35% more.
Don't like to waste money, but I am happy to have done what I did.
I didn't feel like it was a waste either because somebody has a job because I supported American industry.
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I do this regularly. I first compare the price of American-made vs. the cheapest (i.e., Chinese). I usually end up buying American unless it is for a one-time use and the price difference is large. We need to support our own companies and stop funding a hostile nation.
Action
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But we couldn't support Breton Industries. They had cut us off...
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I have a soft top made by Breton. Bought it last year, didn't have any trouble. Was only backordered a month. Probably helped that I wanted OD green, as they seemed to never have black or camo in stock. It is a bit saggy, but water tight and well made.
I tried to offer them my HMMWV soft slant back plans at that time, pointing out there was a small but tangible market among folks like us. They only sent me a "thanks for asking" response. Probably had bigger problems than talking to a basement fabricator like me.
I join in hoping someone will rescue the company and turn it around.
Bulldogger
I tried to offer them my HMMWV soft slant back plans at that time, pointing out there was a small but tangible market among folks like us. They only sent me a "thanks for asking" response. Probably had bigger problems than talking to a basement fabricator like me.
I join in hoping someone will rescue the company and turn it around.
Bulldogger
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Hard for manufacturing like this to survive in NY high tax states. Minimum wage going up every year by a dollar. So many people taking FMLA and PFMLA and disability and I can't do this part of the job or that because my doctor says so here is a note. I can go on and on. I have a guy gets FMLA takes off one day a week - any day - doctor says he has some kind of issue that he needs to be able to do this. Doesn't help my planning. Can't fire him. Have to be careful disciplining him. Good guy when he is here. Trucking companies charge a surcharge to come here. Freight is delayed all the time and damaged often. Power goes out during the night once or twice a week. Power surges daily. Lose a phase here and there real good for the equipment. Glad I do not run a night shift or overnight there would always be issues.
Contractors you hire have people who don't know anything. Parts changers with 30 years experience but no troubleshooting ability. Still get charged $250 an hour for them to come and ask you what is wrong and how to fix it. Towns have all kinds of crazy rules and regulations you need to follow or get shut down. People are too impatient to wait for a truck to get in the dock cars are passing by in front of and behind the trucks. Try to hire a new employee post an ad get 200 candidates whittle it down to 50 to call. 20 answer or call you back. 10 of those set up interviews. 4 show up to the interview so you hire them. Half of them quit after 2 weeks the work is too hard sitting down for 8 hours making parts.
Can go on and on and on. Try to hire a guy to fix 20 or 30 year old sewing machines? Good luck. If you don't have a workforce of 50 and 60 year olds you are screwed because no one knows anything or wants to work. When these people retire you are screwed too. Kids are sitting home doing nothing playing with stocks online don't need money they live in their parents basement at 35. Have a guy who is learning but wants more money already makes damn good money for 2 years experience but he is no superstar. Ask him to work some OT to get paid and show interest. No thanks and by the way not coming in Saturday either and might just call out on Monday too since I am tired or whatever.
So yeah working in NY state in manufacturing I can understand why a 70 year old business can't survive here or just doesn't want to. Sell it and move to Florida to retire at 50 if you are second or third generation. Move the place to Tennessee or Texas where people might want to work.
Contractors you hire have people who don't know anything. Parts changers with 30 years experience but no troubleshooting ability. Still get charged $250 an hour for them to come and ask you what is wrong and how to fix it. Towns have all kinds of crazy rules and regulations you need to follow or get shut down. People are too impatient to wait for a truck to get in the dock cars are passing by in front of and behind the trucks. Try to hire a new employee post an ad get 200 candidates whittle it down to 50 to call. 20 answer or call you back. 10 of those set up interviews. 4 show up to the interview so you hire them. Half of them quit after 2 weeks the work is too hard sitting down for 8 hours making parts.
Can go on and on and on. Try to hire a guy to fix 20 or 30 year old sewing machines? Good luck. If you don't have a workforce of 50 and 60 year olds you are screwed because no one knows anything or wants to work. When these people retire you are screwed too. Kids are sitting home doing nothing playing with stocks online don't need money they live in their parents basement at 35. Have a guy who is learning but wants more money already makes damn good money for 2 years experience but he is no superstar. Ask him to work some OT to get paid and show interest. No thanks and by the way not coming in Saturday either and might just call out on Monday too since I am tired or whatever.
So yeah working in NY state in manufacturing I can understand why a 70 year old business can't survive here or just doesn't want to. Sell it and move to Florida to retire at 50 if you are second or third generation. Move the place to Tennessee or Texas where people might want to work.
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Tom,
I don't think you have the "corner market" on that group of younger people. Our youngest is my son at 37 and he is the baby of the workforce here. Third generation. We are in the printing business, so it is skilled labor. Just like repairing machines where you are it isn't magic. It requires some desire to actually do the job here too.
I can't figure out where their ideas about pay come from. They are way off in left field.
The only thing I don't have to deal with are the power problems. Truckers enjoy delivering to us. We "vest up" and help them get backed into the dock. We feed the drivers snacks and coffee when it is cold and water or soft drinks in the summer. I think that is how we get our deliveries with very little effort here.
Overall, it needs to improve. Everybody seems to want to hold out their hand
