Cast-iron Radiators to Juarez

croydoncorgi

I just LOVED this story - and not just because it clearly illustrated the global-market opportunities for the Fleet-of-Foot prepared not just to think outside the box but to invent new boxes!



Really ironic that in the Rust Belt there are (it seems) no iron-foundries left that could have easily won this deal, just because of lower transportation costs.



In addition, there's also the wicked thought that the folks in UK were a tad naive, and in fact they've supplied radiators to Juarez for some drug lord to chain his hostages to!  Well - OBVIOUSLY they'd need to be heavy-duty!



:=) ;=)

Charlie from wmass

Hostages need heat too

I am not sure I would say no to a druglord who needed a new boiler. Would you?

Jean-David Beyer

Selling to "heavy" customers.

Around 1970, the department for which I worked at a large corporation needed a minicomputer. When we had restricted our choices to two models made by a particular manufacturer, we went to visit them. We eventually selected the one we needed. As a joke, I asked the salesman if anyone had paid cash for one of these machines. He said that once four guys came in and discussed their computing needs, and selected a $50,000 machine (small in those days). When they found out how much, one of them pulled out a large roll of U.S.  currency. At that point, the company smelled a rat and pointed out that this price included no software, no support, no maintenance, and no warranty. They worked really hard and managed to unsell the machine. He said they feared it was the Mafia and they wanted it for numbers and bookmaking accounting, and they wanted nothing to do with it.

Charlie from wmass

I can see why

It would have put all those accountants they were using out of work from doing it manually.