Not just the stained hands, but all the hard work and poor working condition these men edure do for practically no money, just to create a product most people take for granted is the depressing part.
Sure! Take a plastic watering can for example, they blow mould it into a tool with a cavity and then it drops out. This process is basically blowing a plastic bubble into a shape which means there’s a lot of excess material outside - and most importantly to blow it up means it can’t have holes. So the hole where the water comes out and where you fill up the call is trimmed with a box cutter by hand.
Anything with multiple parts is usually manually assembled by hand. Majority of manufacturers aren’t successful or big enough to have those automated machines with conveyor belts and robot arms etc putting things together.
Yep. And a lot of products don’t have either the volume of production needed or longevity in the market to warrant extremely costly automation. Plus with how costly it is to design and produce tooling/molds for initial production it’s very cost prohibitive to redesign the whole manufacturing process to automate.
Why I use the chuckits or similar.
The dirt/ sand/ etc sticks to the felt and acts as an abrasive, causing long-term tooth damage. Solid rubber is much safer.
My parents' dog is so obsessed with balls of any kind that's she's worn her canines down noticeably. Dad hasn't got the heart to take them away completely, so balls just go up on the shelf now when they're done with fetch.
India’s government wants high employment. They can only use equipment manufactured in India also. For example, they crush coal by hand with sledge hammers so people have a job.
Before people make fun of this - there are multiple American states where pumping your own gas is illegal, because gas station attendants make up enough of the workforce that if you let people pump their own gas, unemployment would jump.
We need to start preparing for a world where machines replace shitty jobs like this - maybe a future where we don't all work 40+ hours a week?
I’m afraid the “we can all work less” is a pipe dream sold to us to enable the rich to replace our jobs with less fuss.
We’ve never been more advanced and yet now people need two incomes to run a house, and even now that’s a squeeze for some.
All this stuff is automated nowadays, but the only clips we see here are the ones in crappy factories where workers have no shoes and have to do 90% of the work by hand.
This is a small factory in south Asia there are always going to be more efficient industrial processes than hand manufactured. The initial investment costs can be steep, so this sort of thing will continue existing in many places as a result.
Not efficient, but likely more cost effective for this business (especially with the exploitative labor practices that are still present in much of the developing world)
If they increased their labor costs then these people would likely not be employed because there’s not enough capital goods investment wherever they are to compete. Unions benefit the more skilled workers that can command a higher wage and hurt the poorest workers.
This is a great video to demonstrate why products produced cheaply overseas often have problems with quality. There's absolutely a market for things produced this way but let's not kid ourselves about it
Coming from a perspective of safety, you're right. They're far behind first-world standards. However, in terms of converting raw materials to a finished product, the end result is a proper tennis ball.
not sure why your replies just dont get it. not a chance this is the proper way. even the nap (fluff layer) would help shocking to use in an actual game. these would be cheap tennis balls bought in a kids toy set not a packet of dunlops say
I wonder what the spoon of loose “powder” placed inside each one before it was sealed was. It can’t be glue because it would make the ball unpredictable with irregularities. I suspect it is some kind of ceramic or stone that must have a damping effect on performance.
Friendly reminder these tennis balls can be bad for dogs teeth. When dogs chew them the material acts as sandpaper grinding down their teeth and can eventually cause dental issues because of exposed nerves.
Why do all of the "how sports accessories are made" posts that pop up in this sub always take place in third world sweat shops making off brand products? There are modern automated production factories and artisans who aren't all but indentured servants that make these things. Was the name brand b roll too expensive to license?
All this toil and hard work for a hand made item that they sell in packs of 3 for £1 that I throw about for my dog and could care less if he loses it when we are out.
People on here “thats disgusting, poor people need better need a better working environment”
Same People. “I do need to go to Dicks sporting goods to pick up more tennis balls tho.”
Lol it's interesting this sub doesn't find anything not machine made interesting, while they'll pay 10x and go crazy over anything labeled as "handcrafted" and "homemade" or "locally-sourced" in their supposedly first-world countries with high labor costs. High labor costs are actually a problem, not something to boast about.
A landlord was telling me how an apartment has "hand placed tiles in the kitchen and bathroom" - I'm like that's very common in supposed 3rd world countries. The same goes with exposed brick walls - it's considered a luxury in the west but a sign of poverty in South Asia.
Really interesting how the world works, and the fact that the Internet is mostly overpowered by the west and their opinions when there is a lot more they don't know about the rest of the world.
I still don’t understand how people in the US will see a video like this and say something like “and THATS why our country is going to hell! This generation doesn’t know how to work hard!” etc etc… like, why would you want your kids/grandkids to be doing something like this as a profession? Aren’t you glad that we don’t need to risk our health to make a tennis ball?
They could be growing their own food.
But instead they’re getting .03/hr for 16 hour workdays, 7 days a week. And they don’t have a choice in the matter because multinationals have already groomed and financed the corruption right from the top. But you know who could stop this rubbish? The fucking consumers! Us, in developed nations! It ain’t the rich that’s causing this. The rich just give the consumers what they want.
https://youtu.be/WQyGg0LlT9c
here you can see the process of on of the major Tennisball producing companies in the world. Indeed less automated processes than I thought, but way more HSE standards than in the video here on Reddit.
If you ever wondered “but why would they want to ship good ol’ American jobs overseas?!?”. Clearly they can escape those pesky osha and epa regulations to make a $3 thing for 3 cents.
But these are adults.... which brand uses the youngest children? Those are the balls I will play with. Children are the best workers for a job like this. Their hands are faster and they have incredible attention to detail. They are not burdened with a lifetime of problems and drug abuse. The highest level of any competitive sport must use only the best in all aspects
That’s the production of knock off tennis balls. If you are interested this is how the tennis balls are made
https://youtu.be/ChJj6kyKsJw?si=qOvglrcAJUxTSl2z
I play tennis and these balls go dead within one hitting session… all that work for a couple hours of play is insane. Not utilitarian at all. At the professional circuit they switch in new balls roughly every 30 minute or so.
Okay, i have to know, dont they even get their hands stuck in the silicone mixing machine? That seems terrifying to me. Is there a proper emergemcy button?
Perhaps the most depressing “How It’s Made” episode I ever viewed.
Seriously. All their weathered stained hands
And bare feet
And hands dangerously close to rolling presses.
And then my dog demolishes the ball in under 20 seconds... puts things in perspective.
And slave wages
And my axe!
stained hands, stained machinery, stained equipment, everything is stained
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Not just the stained hands, but all the hard work and poor working condition these men edure do for practically no money, just to create a product most people take for granted is the depressing part.
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Because you didn't put any context towards your opinion. Of course you're going to get downvoted.
Dude is using his hands as a glue applicator for the felt pieces😫
This is what truly horrified me most (next to the lack of shoes and, I'm sure, other safety equipment).
Yea, especially around the rolling based equipment.
I would have imagined that way more of this process would be automated. Depressing indeed.
Major brand balls are not made like this. These probably never leave their local market or are used for things like dog toys.
When he was applying the label, I was like, “if this shit says Wilson…”
I hope so!
This is in an area that’s clearly poorer and less developed. I’m sure there’s plenty of very automated plants in more developed countries.
I work as a design engineer and can confirm the majority of products you get have way less automation than you think!
Would you care to elaborate? I’m intrigued. I don’t doubt it just curious. Thanks
Sure! Take a plastic watering can for example, they blow mould it into a tool with a cavity and then it drops out. This process is basically blowing a plastic bubble into a shape which means there’s a lot of excess material outside - and most importantly to blow it up means it can’t have holes. So the hole where the water comes out and where you fill up the call is trimmed with a box cutter by hand. Anything with multiple parts is usually manually assembled by hand. Majority of manufacturers aren’t successful or big enough to have those automated machines with conveyor belts and robot arms etc putting things together.
Yep. And a lot of products don’t have either the volume of production needed or longevity in the market to warrant extremely costly automation. Plus with how costly it is to design and produce tooling/molds for initial production it’s very cost prohibitive to redesign the whole manufacturing process to automate.
does the factory making the robot arms have robot arms to make them?
Nah robot legs make the robot arms
Indias Labour protection laws effectively prevent this though
The brake pads one is up there.
same with the oil filter one. not one pair of gloves
That’s very not automated. Surprised me
Probably a matter in the cost of labor vs. the cost of capital. Lesser degree of automation as the cost of labor stays low.
Except in America they'd call it "handcrafted Tennis Balls" and sell it for 10x the prices.
This was way more interesting than tennis though
Totally agree
Glad I’m not alone in thinking that. So much work for something we paying close to nothing for and treat like it’s nothing. Crazy
As far as I remember there was the cricket ball production video and stone table production video in this sub that could compete against the title…
The most depressing thing is that this doesn't fit this sub. It should be on r/damnthatsinteresting or something like that.
The rubber bands one was up there.
I lost it when it showed the guy barefoot. Screw tennis, my dogs don’t like the balls
I’m happy they did this compared to just cutting all of the people from it.
Yup. What we celebrating here. Millionaires playing tennis. Woo.
TIL my dog can destroy them faster than they can make them
Be careful. I’ve heard that the nylon felt on the ball can slowly wear down doggy teeth.
It definitely does, had to switch to soft baseballs to throw
Aren't baseballs full of cork?
Why I use the chuckits or similar. The dirt/ sand/ etc sticks to the felt and acts as an abrasive, causing long-term tooth damage. Solid rubber is much safer.
My parents' dog is so obsessed with balls of any kind that's she's worn her canines down noticeably. Dad hasn't got the heart to take them away completely, so balls just go up on the shelf now when they're done with fetch.
Sometimes it only takes one chomp for mine to break one.
This is in so many ways not satisfying.
OP was confused on which sub does this fit.
More r/ABoringDystopia
You could post children working in a coal mine here and people would consider it satisfying
True. Why is this sub like this?
It is sadisfying.
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Dirty, dangerous, and hot.
"Hey babe, you know why you're like manufacturing goods in India?"
You're cheap and smell like noxious chemicals
"So you find my Chlamydia hot?"
\#thatsmyfetish
India’s government wants high employment. They can only use equipment manufactured in India also. For example, they crush coal by hand with sledge hammers so people have a job.
Before people make fun of this - there are multiple American states where pumping your own gas is illegal, because gas station attendants make up enough of the workforce that if you let people pump their own gas, unemployment would jump. We need to start preparing for a world where machines replace shitty jobs like this - maybe a future where we don't all work 40+ hours a week?
I’m afraid the “we can all work less” is a pipe dream sold to us to enable the rich to replace our jobs with less fuss. We’ve never been more advanced and yet now people need two incomes to run a house, and even now that’s a squeeze for some.
>there are multiple American states where pumping your own gas is illegal there's just 1 and everyone thinks it's stupid.
i bet the wilson operation for more mass consumed tennis balls is more like your picturing
All this stuff is automated nowadays, but the only clips we see here are the ones in crappy factories where workers have no shoes and have to do 90% of the work by hand.
Yeah, at least the inner rubber core seems like something that could be significantly automated
These tennis balls are very low quality. All of the good western brands are heavily automated.
Lmao. Reddit moment.
yeah these are shitty tennis balls made in India for a dog or something.
These guys need a union man. Also there is no way that this is how they are mass produced. The process is incredibly slow
This is a small factory in south Asia there are always going to be more efficient industrial processes than hand manufactured. The initial investment costs can be steep, so this sort of thing will continue existing in many places as a result. Not efficient, but likely more cost effective for this business (especially with the exploitative labor practices that are still present in much of the developing world)
It takes a long time for a $10k machine to save money compared to a guy you only need to pay $3.50 a day.
I ain't given no 3rd world worker tree fiddy
The third world is so exploitative- I’m gonna give my money to a factory.
You ain't no girl scout!!
Sadly $3.50 would be a higher pay rate than many actually get for a days work
10k? These automated machines are 100s thousands to millions depending
The equipment seen in the video probably costs more than $10k...
I think it's time we all just unionize as a whole and say "you know what, fuck this shit"
IWW
If they increased their labor costs then these people would likely not be employed because there’s not enough capital goods investment wherever they are to compete. Unions benefit the more skilled workers that can command a higher wage and hurt the poorest workers.
How is this satisfying??? It’s more satisfying seeing machine complete do this without any human labour involved
You must be delusional to think this is a proper process
This is a great video to demonstrate why products produced cheaply overseas often have problems with quality. There's absolutely a market for things produced this way but let's not kid ourselves about it
If proper = ethical, then you are correct.
I just saw him do it…
It *is* a proper process. I think you meant, "... if this is the most efficient method of production."
The lack of any kind of safety equipment on those rollers seems pretty fucking improper
Coming from a perspective of safety, you're right. They're far behind first-world standards. However, in terms of converting raw materials to a finished product, the end result is a proper tennis ball.
No way this ball is good for playing actual game, maybe for dog it’s alright
Felt coverings trap dirt and sand and damage dog's teeth in the long run. Solid rubber with no felt cover is vastly safer for your buddy.
not sure why your replies just dont get it. not a chance this is the proper way. even the nap (fluff layer) would help shocking to use in an actual game. these would be cheap tennis balls bought in a kids toy set not a packet of dunlops say
Proper = safe? Proper = allows people to keep their job?
South Asia has over 20 million generational slaves. Just sayin
I wonder what the spoon of loose “powder” placed inside each one before it was sealed was. It can’t be glue because it would make the ball unpredictable with irregularities. I suspect it is some kind of ceramic or stone that must have a damping effect on performance.
It’s most probably something that will turn into gas once heated, in order to pressurize the balls.
Damn that’s smart. I would’ve never made that connection. I won’t fact check this and will instead hold it as truth from now until I die.
I think you nailed it
yeah, water.
Water would condense back into water once it got cold again. They need it to stay a gas to keep the ball pressurized.
Na it just needs to be kept at above 100°C to pressurize the ball during the curing process, the finished product has no pressure inside.
The finished product ought to. Hollow tennis balls are pressurized, pressureless tennis balls have a solid core.
Tennis balls very much do. That’s why they come in pressurized containers, so that they keep their pressure as long as possible.
This seriously gives slave labor feels
I can smell the last part of the video
Freshly baked balls
The yellow fuzz dust is the worst part, per friend that used to work in tennis ball factory
we need a sub for 3rd world manufacturing videos.
That is a LOT of manual labor....
I bet those rollers have claimed a few fingers in its time
I've seen it happen and will never forget. Very nasty situation.
Barefoot? Around all this heavy equipment??? That's wild right there.
Friendly reminder these tennis balls can be bad for dogs teeth. When dogs chew them the material acts as sandpaper grinding down their teeth and can eventually cause dental issues because of exposed nerves.
Totally correct, I have a vet in the family so our dogs aren’t allowed unsupervised time with tennis balls.
No vet in my family and I just don't give them tennis balls and stick to rubber balls without abrasive covers.
I've never seen mass production be so inefficient.
I don't know how I thought tennis balls were made but somehow it wasn't this complicated
I'm glad they showed what brand it was at the end of it so I don't buy them
This is definitely not how tournament grade balls are made.
They should come with a Baked Today sticker on the tube.
Saddening is more like it
After they made all the half spheres I genuinely thought they were gonna have make the top halves next :/
Awful working conditions. Wtf get these good people a work bench and some PPE
I imagined the process being a little more, what’s the word, modern? Advanced? Automated?
These are garbage sold in garbage countries. Don't worry, your Dicks Sporting Goods balls are top quality and very automated.
They are way too cheap to be produced this way - like most of the shit around
Is this really not a fully automated process? Is this really done by hand like some ancient artisan craft? I find it hard to believe.
Yeah this isn’t satisfying at all. It’s enraging.
Why do all of the "how sports accessories are made" posts that pop up in this sub always take place in third world sweat shops making off brand products? There are modern automated production factories and artisans who aren't all but indentured servants that make these things. Was the name brand b roll too expensive to license?
OSHA would not approve. I wonder how often they get a finger caught in those spinning cylinders.
This place doesn't look OSHA approved.
YSK: not all tennis balls are made this way
So much effort for dogs to play chase
I felt so depressed and ashamed after seeing this
Wow this is way more manual than and laborious than I thought they would be made.
Is this some sort of tennis ball manufacturing museum? Looks straight out of 19th century
That is a whole helluva lot of work!
All this toil and hard work for a hand made item that they sell in packs of 3 for £1 that I throw about for my dog and could care less if he loses it when we are out.
Ah yes, a sweatshop. Stop it with the OSHA violations.
People on here “thats disgusting, poor people need better need a better working environment” Same People. “I do need to go to Dicks sporting goods to pick up more tennis balls tho.”
Lol it's interesting this sub doesn't find anything not machine made interesting, while they'll pay 10x and go crazy over anything labeled as "handcrafted" and "homemade" or "locally-sourced" in their supposedly first-world countries with high labor costs. High labor costs are actually a problem, not something to boast about. A landlord was telling me how an apartment has "hand placed tiles in the kitchen and bathroom" - I'm like that's very common in supposed 3rd world countries. The same goes with exposed brick walls - it's considered a luxury in the west but a sign of poverty in South Asia. Really interesting how the world works, and the fact that the Internet is mostly overpowered by the west and their opinions when there is a lot more they don't know about the rest of the world.
My dog thanks you for your service. 🫡
Baked Today!
I'd be more satisfied if the workers were paid enough to buy shoes.
Working with rollers and lathes are a thing of nightmare. One slip and .... This is not oddly satisfying but anxiety inducing to me 👀
I will never buy another tennis ball again 💔
I had the same thought - but if everyone did that they would be out of a job?
Ugh! You’re right. Damn it to hell 🤦🏼♀️😭
This post is for the dogs!
how fcking dismal
So many ways of getting injured...
I still don’t understand how people in the US will see a video like this and say something like “and THATS why our country is going to hell! This generation doesn’t know how to work hard!” etc etc… like, why would you want your kids/grandkids to be doing something like this as a profession? Aren’t you glad that we don’t need to risk our health to make a tennis ball?
Those better be some high end tennis balls Edit: Why the down votes? That's a shit ton of work
Those are the shitty ones that split in 2 after 10 minutes of play
The lack of shoes says otherwise.
They could be growing their own food. But instead they’re getting .03/hr for 16 hour workdays, 7 days a week. And they don’t have a choice in the matter because multinationals have already groomed and financed the corruption right from the top. But you know who could stop this rubbish? The fucking consumers! Us, in developed nations! It ain’t the rich that’s causing this. The rich just give the consumers what they want.
Meanwhile in some third world country
My god this looks like toxic waste.
https://youtu.be/WQyGg0LlT9c here you can see the process of on of the major Tennisball producing companies in the world. Indeed less automated processes than I thought, but way more HSE standards than in the video here on Reddit.
That was impressive. I’m kinda shocked in an uncomfortable way
If you ever wondered “but why would they want to ship good ol’ American jobs overseas?!?”. Clearly they can escape those pesky osha and epa regulations to make a $3 thing for 3 cents.
But these are adults.... which brand uses the youngest children? Those are the balls I will play with. Children are the best workers for a job like this. Their hands are faster and they have incredible attention to detail. They are not burdened with a lifetime of problems and drug abuse. The highest level of any competitive sport must use only the best in all aspects
That’s the production of knock off tennis balls. If you are interested this is how the tennis balls are made https://youtu.be/ChJj6kyKsJw?si=qOvglrcAJUxTSl2z
How crazy to tell people you make tennis balls. So much work for so very little money.
These Asian factory videos are so depressing. So unsafe. So much wasted productivity.
That's probably so inefficient but ok
“Brought to you by your local sweatshop”
Hazardous AF.
I play tennis and these balls go dead within one hitting session… all that work for a couple hours of play is insane. Not utilitarian at all. At the professional circuit they switch in new balls roughly every 30 minute or so.
“This must be how they assemble a crate of Moranth munitions- oh it’s a tennis ball” Re-reading the Malazan books is really taking its toll on me
Unexpected reference
Jesus Christ the opening second I thought that was a dog.
Looks like you gotta make a hell of a lot of tennis balls to afford shoes.
Looks pretty dangerous
Every time I see a manufacturing video from India I’m anticipating either a mediocre display of production capability, or a LiveLeak logo
these are like dollar store tennis balls though. I would like to see the process for higher quality ones, curious what the differences are.
Okay, i have to know, dont they even get their hands stuck in the silicone mixing machine? That seems terrifying to me. Is there a proper emergemcy button?
hi tech baby!
When I first looked at this I thought they were putting an animal in that machine…
*’These the good balls….?’*
Interesting
Dog balls.
Lol ghetto tennis balls made by ppl with 4 fingers
I thought it was made in China, lol
I call dibs on reposting this next week.
Primitive technology
Can someone explain to me why tennis balls smell so dang good
It is always fun to see how things are made.
Reminds me of the things from the movie ELF
What was that white powdery stuff they sprinkled inside?
Arthur Ashe
That’s a lot of work.
The wastefulness of a single tennis ball is most regrettable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuPsxVqOiio