Subject: Re: Interesting view
my first week in Huaqiangbei I burned through 4 prototype iterations of a motor controller board

No surprise. The US has been offshoring its manufacturing capability for decades. China controls the *capability* because it is cheaper. Development is even worse. When I worked in high tech, it was simple: I was talking (face to face) with the in-house designers/developers, so things could move quickly and get done. Items were usually made locally, depending on the item. Some suppliers were dropped when they proved to be unable to meet current/expected demand. New suppliers (also reasonably local) could meet needs. Moderate cost changes for a $100 part was no big deal given a $1+million (selling price) machine. No idea what happened after I left 25 yrs ago. They are still in business, so that tells me something....