Transcript
Baker Plbg: Okay, you knew it was coming. And now it is here. I'm going to try and up my game just a little tiny bit. and you know, use Some clips. Um... Uh, And I will be quoting myself since Matt quoted me, which is fine. And just just to be perfectly clear, Matt and I have chatted.
Baker Plbg: uh, and the dms were totally fine this isn't some sort of Is he fit? Or... you know battle of the bands or it's just my response to Matt's five minute video.
Baker Plbg: Which I appreciate him taking the time to do that out of his incredibly busy day. And I don't mean that facetiously at all. He had a baseball game to go to, which is probably, I think he said it was his nephew, which is more important than anything.
Baker Plbg: that happens on Instagram. Okay, so the very first thing, I'll just talk about the employees. I was actually talking about... The employees are clapping for the influencers that are there.
Baker Plbg: because they're at they're paid to be that they are paid actors and so are the influence frankly And so yeah there's lots of clips. We'll clip this up. I didn't know that the...
Baker Plbg: four -tier thing was last year, it came across my feed. so Whoever's using that stuff is... dated. Uh... And that we could go on for like an entire, like two hours up on corporate America.
Baker Plbg: and The slave class. But. We're not going to go into that. He did bring up. Um... ah The. China thing, which I think is what sort of got his...
Baker Plbg: knickers in an a knot if i might say so i did do some research and i did I'm going to quote Plum Dangerous. Insert Plum Dangerous.
Baker Plbg: The internet is free. Google is free. You should Google it. So I Googled it. And did you guys know that this the... the company that he made that he named, TTI. i was created in 1985.
Baker Plbg: by a German and Hong Kong partner. Their names are unimportant. that you can check out their ticker. On the New York Stock Exchange, it's 0669.
Baker Plbg: Anyway, i've in 2025, they did. 15 .3 billion dollars in revenue. That's a big company. Let's just go through the thing. In 2001...
Baker Plbg: They bought Ryobi. In 2003, they bought Rigid. that They leased the name of Rigid. So when you see those power tools in...
Baker Plbg: Home Depot the orange ones. Those are all made by TTI. and they leased the name RIDGID. Rigid. plumbing tools cameras are rigids for the time being In 2005, they bought Milwaukee.
Baker Plbg: 2007, they bought... hoover and this is going to hurt a few of the carpenters feelings did you know they bought stiletto hammers 2014, they bought Empire Level.
Baker Plbg: and And on and on and on and on and on it goes. I'm just going to pause this here because I'm going to have to check. A couple of sources. Hang on a second. So I'm going to play my little clip of what I said.
Baker Plbg: Okay, did you know that TTI owns over 200 facilities globally? Milwaukee's core. Chinese operations are centralized in two... Primary Manufacturing... hug but I'm not going to say this right. The Dong Jun...
Baker Plbg: Mega Campus. is TTI's flagship vertically integrated manufacturing power powerhouse. And rather than individual scattered factories, it functions as the collection of specialized.
Baker Plbg: Facilities in one footprint. It handles the bulk. of Milwaukee's high -volume M12 and N18 cordless power tools, electronic assembly, and battery -packed manufacturing. Its second campus is in Zuhan.
Baker Plbg: Industrial Park, another massive multi -facility site owned by TTI that handles heavy component manufacturing. production and assembly.
Baker Plbg: Hang on one second. matt does mention vietnam they have a couple of massive campuses new campuses in vietnam that's a new thing and Mexico. They built one in 2018 in I think it's in Greenwood, Mississippi.
Baker Plbg: ah which they heavily promote. I'll get to that in a second. But over 70%. of Milwaukee's high volume cordless tool platforms. are produced within TTI's centralized Chinese industrial... footprint.
Baker Plbg: Now, I'm not like this isn't a slam against Milwaukee. Everybody does any big manufacturer. As we all know the manufacturing left the continental United States and Canada for that matter.
Baker Plbg: And went. to East Asia. or Asia. whatever you want. to However you want to. We'll be right back. couching Um, Since the new... administration's been in. I won't say his name because everybody freaks out.
Baker Plbg: Those manufacturing jobs. or they're trying to bring those things back. And in 2018... This is the facility that I think that they had the power. power for the pipeline event in again i'm going to pause it i get to my little spot here So their factory in West Bend.
Baker Plbg: Wisconsin. wisconsin was built for $55 million dollars and is highly promoted, and it's the one that provides... our makes lineman pliers wire strippers and the diagonal and long nose pliers though.
Baker Plbg: High volume accessories in the Mississippi plants. are reciprocating saw blades. hole dozer, hole saws, and step drills. And those are the ones which I have seen in my own Home Depot here in Canada that literally have the American flag on it saying made in the USA. So.
Baker Plbg: So. The reality is, is I was right. That most of it's ah it's a Hong Kong company made it's like It's a Chinese company.
Baker Plbg: And has been since 2000 and. five Uh... don and and You want to know who some American companies actually are? Channel lock.
Baker Plbg: East wing, uh, S wing hammers. Klein, which I was surprised, and Snap -on Tools. Just about everything else is assembled or made in uh in Asia.
Baker Plbg: I mean that's a fact And I. So. I was right.
Baker Plbg: They do employ. ah Hang on. Pause one more time. I'm going to... Matt was... Four minutes. I'm going to be 10. They employ, the TTI company employs about...
Baker Plbg: 50 000 employees and this is all off of google again check it out and they the wages average Between. $140 ,000. and 40 ,000.
Baker Plbg: Engineering, R and &D, which is all it... in China. All in those mega campuses that I spoke about earlier. Those guys are making about $138 ,000 a year. I don't know if that's... Yen, U .S. dollars, Canadians, I don't know.
Baker Plbg: But interestingly, what we call the TNA people. we in the restaurant industry we have the tna those are the greeters that show up and they're fun. there They can get you to your seat. They know lots. They'll answer most of your questions and they're attractive. Those are the people that you meet at the pipeline event.
Baker Plbg: Their average wage. Uh... it is Let me see. um Matt is right. They hope they employ about 10 ,000 people across the United States.
Baker Plbg: Wisconsin plant. It's $36 ,000. The Mississippi plant. He has 24 ,000 and the rest of them. ah are sort of those tool reps and they average about $40 ,000 a year.
Baker Plbg: ah Anyway. Listen. i You can try and tell me where I miss made a misstep. or I misspoke. Or I had said something, you know.
Baker Plbg: inaccurate ah but i don't think i did i do understand That. um It's a difficult pill for the Americans. to swallow that American made products are not made there. But that's the fact.
Baker Plbg: uh the he said you know the people that the blood sweat and tears that go into their products All done in China.
Baker Plbg: That's that's just a fact. So... Do your research. Google's free. You're welcome for the lesson. I will continue to buy. What else am I going to buy?
Baker Plbg: we've I've said it before, it's been a discussion Forever like once you decide on your battery platform, that's your platform And 20 years ago, I bought Milwaukee and continue and will continue to do so and continue to add to their $15 .3 billion. dollars in revenue.
Baker Plbg: Um, I did. I will say this. On my next one, I did get have some really interesting conversations with some very interesting people. about the influencers and what's going on on that side of thing, which opened my eyes. And I, for the first time ever, I had someone.
Baker Plbg: who will remain anonymous. actually share their Numbers? ah and what they make a year influencing. and if If those, and I'm going to, like I said before, I'm gonna take everybody at face value. If what you tell me.
Baker Plbg: I will believe you I have no reason to... to not believe you, even though I am the bad guy. I think. it's It's fantastic. And I hope that that continues to raise the bar.
Baker Plbg: I am not a hater. I just think that too many people, it's a race to the bottom, and the you know steak sandwich sorority will do anything. for a meal a comped hotel.
Baker Plbg: And. whatever the case may be. And I'm not suggesting. that Matt. or Whoever is part of that steak sandwich short. I hope you're being compensated and compensated well.
Baker Plbg: The brands. And and it it becomes brand identity. I have a brand in in in Alberta. and I am a known entity.
Baker Plbg: What else do you want That's what you strive for. I don't need to be a known entity to Milwaukee or and rigid. or even though I i am.
Baker Plbg: But I... i don't want I don't really want to play in that. in that realm. Anyway, as usual, those are my thoughts. my thoughts Not yours. Matt have a fabulous day. Hopefully your nephew won the baseball game And I'm going to clip this all together and it's going to become.
Baker Plbg: Like. four or five. reels. as they always do. Be well. Everybody.
