Allan Miller posted:brianel_k-lineguy posted:In additional to Atlas, the following companies have made some sort of announcement that they are also affected adversely by the closure of Affatech (some of which have already been mentioned here): Bowser, Bluford Shops, ExactRail, Fox Valley Models, Intermountain, Spring Mills Depot, Trainworx Inc., and Wheels of Time. Two more firms, Tangent Scale Models and Moloco Models are also thought to be affected but have made no official announcement either way.
Although not involved in O scale/gauge, another manufacturer directly and adversely impacted by the closure is American Z Lines (AZL), a leading manufacturer in the world of Z scale that produces high-end Z locomotives and rolling stock based largely on U.S. prototypes. I believe all of their production came from Affatech. An aannouncement on their member forum strongly reinforced their commitment to the Z market and to finding a new supplier, but they also cautioned that consumers should avail themselves of product currently available and be prepared for significant delays in new product until a new supplier can be found and production resumed. That may take a considerable time.
My perspective on this whole unfortunate matter:
O gauge/scale consumers should also be prepared for a rather dramatic slow-down of new product coming in from overseas. This applies to ALL O gauge train manufacturers, including some not directly named or impacted by the Affatech closure. In short, if there's something you would like to have that is currently available or (especially) already in the pipeline on a container ship or in a warehouse, you may want to satiate your consuming desires now if you can possibly do so rather than pin your hopes on something that has already been cataloged or announced, but is still possibly going to be a year or even several years away.
I agree with Allan, this may only be the tip of the iceberg with issues with China production, and it isn't just finished trains, it also affects components manufacturers elsewhere use (not talking Affatech here). With all the trade stuff swirling around (and it looks like it is getting ugly), there could be all kinds of things that happen, you could see ports refusing to handle goods from China, you could see China retaliating by not allowing or slowing down component sales/shipment. Hopefully it will all be noise and rattling swords, but the global supply chain is really complex, and as Mr. Scott said in one of the Star Trek movies, the more you complicate the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain......
