Are wages relevant ?
The Corona plant employs between 300 to 400 people and produces 350 instruments per day , say 350 staff produce 350 guitars . Shifts are 9 hours with , according to "Payscale.com" , an average of $18 ph ; $162 a day. Cheapest USA guitar is the Telecaster Performer at $1300 retail , labour accounts for 8%.
The Zhunyi Shenqu factory in China employs 600 people producing 1650 guitars per day , 2.75 guitars each. Shifts are also 9 hours , paying just $5.30 ph ; $47.7 a day.
Zhunyi build for Ibanez and cheapest Ibanez I could find was the Mikro at $150. Total for 2.75 of those is $412.50, labour again accounts for 8% of retail.
Two factories with polar opposite prices and wages yet the same labour costs.
Thing that interests me is the wages.
Living wage calculator for Corona gives $24.72 as minimum rate for each adult in a family of 2 adults and 2 kids , FMIC's $18 average lets those folks down.
Living wage for Guizhou Province ( where Zhunyi are located) is given as $3.06 for each adult in a family of 2 adults and 2 kids. On $5.30 the Zhunyi folks are doing better than some of their USA counterparts.