Manufacturing costs

[Ron Nossaman]

>Does anyone have any information regarding he breakdown of costs associated 
>with piano manufacturing? Specifically, I'm interested in knowing what 
>percentage individual components contribute to the overall cost to make a 
>piano. For instance: a set of hammers = x% of the total, the case = y%, the 
>soundboard = z%. Please feel free to be as specific or as general as you are 
>able. I'd love a breakdown of each individual part but am just as happy to 
>know about the whole action or the entire case.
>
>Several manufacturers who I wrote to called this information "privileged" or 
>"confidential" and therefore wouldn't help me.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Donn Young, RPT
>Pianos@Bigfoot.com


Hi Don,
It seems that you haven't yet gotten any bites, or bytes either, for that
matter. I don't have specific details, but I think I can safely assure you
that, categorically, the one most expensive item in piano manufacture is the
holes. There are very few parts in a piano that don't have at least one
carefully designed, meticulously located, and precision fabricated hole.
Some of the parts have hundreds of them, and they all cost money to install.
Some parts even have holes in which are other parts which, themselves, have
a hole, in which yet another part is installed. For extra credit, who can
name the parts?

Sorry, this isn't what you wanted, but it's late, and I'm weak. I hope
someone has some real information for you.

  
 Ron N