TheBritish factory, new in the mid-1980's, was the low-cost manufacturer then because the dollar was so strong.

Television sets are much less expensive now because of an oversupply and continued pressure on prices from low-cost manufacturers and online retailers.

Sharp, a low-cost manufacturer of print engines, would be a logical partner.

Elsewhere, low-cost Asian manufacturers have driven down the price of hammers and, some say, their quality.

For one thing, they said, China's explosive rise as a low-cost manufacturer does not mean that prices will fall year after year.

China's relentless rise as a low-cost manufacturer has helped the global economy in a number of ways, not least by driving down inflation.

But the largest contingent is low-cost manufacturers.

"It is a high-quality, low-cost manufacturer able to compete effectively against foreign competition."

For many types of medical equipment, prices have come down because of improved technology and a surge in imports from low-cost foreign manufacturers.

Under growing pressure from low-cost manufacturers, the company got into financial problems and was acquired by the British Thorn group in 1971.