Who Makes The Slabs (And Where)

But nobody has seen/delivered cartons of unused slabs (or shipping labels for same)going to the slabbing facilities? Has to be hundreds of assorted employees (mould operators, shipping clerks, truck drivers and couriers) who all have friends and relatives. It isn't the Manhattan Project and they are not subject to signing The Official Secrets Act so zero word out there?
Surely when they have same day turnaround on slabbing at coin shows there would be something to give the game away?

mgillette, there are thousands of loose lips and whistleblowers out there who leak serious information and this trade secret isn't on par with say the 11 secret herbs and spices or the Coca Cola recipe (I know what the 11 are and the second is stored in Atlanta). I work in security and most people talk about their job to work colleagues, spouses and friends. Providing security for trade shows I see lots of shipping labels, I'm sure the public can see them as well. As I'm not in America I cannot go to your shows to look for things like that.
Would it be unethical for an employee to say that they are proudly made in the USA or for someone to inform the public that they are no better than the cheap rubbish made in the same Chinese sweatshop?

Ssuperdave, there is no such thing as a trace ingredient in plastic that can perform such a function. It might be undisclosed, but an advanced lab analysis will detect a tracer. Now small back alley counterfeiters won't have the analytical skills but a larger outfit might.
Even the big counterfeiters are unlikely to be able to reverse engineer the exact manufacturing techniques for the compounds or especially the DuPont Izon security label.
I'm not asking for the formula for the slabs, just trying to determine where they are made. The non disclosure of country of origin or who manufacture them is allowing others to claim they are made in China in the same factories as the counterfeit slabs.
The slabs have to be sent to the TPGs in boxes, the boxes need to have shipping details (and usually manufacturing details). Nobody has ever seen those boxes?

Condor,I'm in Australia otherwise I would do just that (snoop in the dumpster). I did work 3 years in recycling and saw lots of sensitive documents (especially government department files on individual members of the public, bet you thought your details were confidential), and empty boxes with shipping details were very common; saw a number with Royal Australian Mint paperwork attached. Is PCGS more protective of paperwork than a mint?

Denco, I currently work security here in Australia. It isn't a preoccupation to get a TPG employee to turn on his employer but a preoccupation to get at the truth of where the slabs are made. I don't need the resin formula or the manufacturing techniques used or costings.
Odds are more non TPG employees know something about the source. Delivery drivers, mould makers, general logistics and waste disposal are all employees who don't work for PCGS and anybody they talk to is not bound by either employment contract nor employee loyalty.
The places where you provided security must be exceptional (or are the exception). I get lots of info from people who have contacts in banks, security companies and mints (both here and in America). Most places leak information like crazy and often it is officially permitted. For example if you ask the Royal Aust Mint where they get their blanks from they will tell you Korea. Is it too hard for PCGS to tell its customers where it sources its slabs from?
As for any company risking their reputation by cutting costs.... look at how the once great companies like GM have lost customers by saving a few cents on parts (messing with down suppliers does this) only to have recalls years later for defective parts. An executive today will often risk the failure of his employer in 20+ years as staff typically turn over every 5 years and executive bonuses are based on meeting quarterly targets and cutting costs today.
They use up to 2 million slabs/year and the savings could be over a dollar/slab which would boost the gross profit margin of Collectors Universe even higher (currently 62.69%. For all we know the recent improvement in margins over the past few quarters is by cutting costs and the short term bottom line is the main metric used by stock investors.

Thanks for posting links to the Annual Reports (which unlike promo advertising are subject to strict rules about misleading disclosures). They didn't say where the slabs are made but under ITEM 1A RISK FACTORS on pages 14 and 16 they do list risk factors with the manufacturing of the slabs (2 suppliers) and the risk factors of expanding the grading service overeas (specifically discussing currency risks). Because they don't discuss currency risks with the supply of slabs it means that the contracts are in USD and there is no hint that the suppliers are subject to currency fluctuation problems. Ergo the suppliers are in the US.
And the report does disclose that PCGS owns the dies for making the slabs.

Lincolnguy. It is of little benefit to counterfeiters to know where the slabs are made. if they really needed to know then stacking out the PCGS facility would give them that information.
It is of use to customers to know that their slabs are made in a good facility and not subcontracted out to some dodgy outfit.
It is no different to any consumer who buys a brand name product and checking that it is made in countries like Switzerland, Germany, Sweden or the US that have a reputation for quality control and not China or Bangladesh.
Other numi product makers put the country of origin on their products. Has Saflips lost market share because they let their customers know that their product is made in Ohio and even give their address?