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Would the machining not count as a “substantial transformation”? I think it would, whereas knocking bearings and seals into machined hub bodies would not.
Dammit-
Almost certainly, depending upon how the FTA with the EU was written.
And it is better for UK plc that the hubs are machined here rather than
(presumably) in China, Taiwan or South Korea.
But within the retail price of £35,
the most value dense components are probably the bearings.
(Again I do not know if there are any UK Bearing manufacturers, but I doubt it).
The return journey from Lincoln to Manchester for the anodising will also add cost.
The machining although the determining step from transforming an intricate aluminium forging into a working bike hub, may only be a small percentage, (single figures?),
of the value accruing under ROO.
mespilus
I'm wondering about the provenance of the original aluminimum forgings.
I don't have experience of the UK metal-bashing industry to know if there are
UK forges for aluminimum hubs.