Manufacture of substandard products

Deterioration in product quality
Poor workmanship
Low quality merchandise
Inadequate quality control
Shoddy workmanship
Deficient quality assurance

Nature

Competition for markets has led to a great increase in the rate of introduction of new designs for products, and increasing pressure is placed upon all concerned to produce at a lower price than competitors. It is therefore no longer possible to continue long-term production of a product once it has been developed to an adequate level of quality. In addition, considerations of economy, and the enormous increase in the scale of manufacturing, have led to heavy dilution of the skilled labour force formerly employed to produce quality products; and competition is further intensified as developing countries enter the market with competing products.

It is useful to distinguish between (a) poor quality from the perspective of the producer and (b) the user. One author distinguishes between custom- designed or built products and mass-produced ones. Custom designed dams, software, ships, financial investments, consulting work, etc., are different because there is no clear difference between design, production and delivery. They all happen effectively at the same time.

One can also distinguish between (a) poor quality products (b) deterioration over time in the quality of products and (c) poor quality not just linked to products but also services, research, etc.

Incidence

A 2021 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that substandard and falsified products, particularly in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, and automotive parts, account for up to 3.3% of global trade, with developing countries disproportionately affected. The World Health Organization (WHO) found that 1 in 10 medical products in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified, posing significant health and safety risks.
In 2018, authorities in Nigeria seized over 2.5 million substandard tyres imported from China, which were found to have been re-treaded and repackaged as new. These tyres contributed to numerous road accidents and fatalities.

Claim

If you like it, it fits and you can afford it, it falls apart the first time you wear it.

Quality assurance doesn't.

Counter-claim

The notion that the manufacture of substandard products is a significant problem is exaggerated. Consumers have the power to choose quality, and market forces naturally weed out inferior goods. Additionally, many industries thrive on innovation and improvement, rendering substandard products obsolete. Focusing on this issue distracts from more pressing concerns, such as sustainability and ethical production. Ultimately, the market self-regulates, and the occasional substandard product is merely a minor inconvenience in a dynamic economy.