Manufacturing in America

Paul48

That why, when you ask for suggestions, you should not dismiss them, in short order. If I belonged to a prestigious society of tradespeople, I might consider speaking to them about such a thing. I might convince them of its importance, and "Go Up".

DanHolohan

I don't think I dismissed anything, Paul. You made a statement: NO ONE wants to pay. I questioned that by proposing that we all view the challenge from a different perspective and I asked additional questions.

That's anything BUT dismissive.

And my prestigious society (GSMT) has trained tens of thousands of trades people for FREE, and has been doing so since 1785, and will keep doing so. We also generate lots of publicity about what we're doing and how we're doing it, and we gather lots of contributions to make it possible because we are irresistible in our positive outlook. It's true.

Stop by and you will also be infected with that energy. I'll be your host.

Charles Thornton, one of our Brothers, also founded this:
http://www.acementor.org/

So please consider my questions, not as dismissive, but as a challenge to stop wringing hands, but rather to get things done.

Back to you, sir.

BobC

I spent most of my working career in manufacturing, I started as a entry level technician and worked my way through production coordinating, quality control, engineering, and management in my 25 years there.

The company employed between 75 and 100 employees, we were a job shop and that means we might have 4 to 8 jobs running on the floor at one time. It takes a lot of coordination to keep that many jobs running concurrently on a small production floor but we did it with very little overhead because everybody did more than one job and we all knew how to do everybody else's job (not as well but we could do it).

There were usually 3 or 4 degree'd engineers and 1 or 2 of us that learned the ropes as we went. The controller had a degree as did the owner but every body else had high school and nothing more than the ability to learn.

With that crew we put power supplies on a lot of ships in the fleet that ran missile systems, C&C, and landing control on the carriers. We also built supplies for the air force, NSA, NRC and a lot of commercial companies as well. We beat a lot of big companies out of contracts because we could turn on a dime, the big boys were laden down with bureaucracies that meant they couldn't respond nearly as fast as we could. The early bird gets the worm -believe it.

After that company I worked as a consulting engineer (1995) for 6 years, we would go in to fix engineering problems that big companies couldn't handle because they were big and cumbersome. The common thread I saw was they were too compartmentalized and the various departments spent as much time fighting with each other as they did doing the job that had to be done.

these companies got big because they did a good job at one point but then they got sidetracked and the infighting became the name of the game. The advent of human resource departments developed into a black whole of resources, they take gov't regulations and use them to increase their footprint and all that does is drive inefficiency.

You read about companies getting lean and mean but the one thing that never seems to reduce is the department heads squabbling over turf. They will downsize the workers but that just seems to give them more time to fight each other.

Companies have got to realize that nothing matters but keeping the customer happy, stop wasting time fighting over what department does what. They have to get back to the point where they hired bright people and trained them to do a job the right way. The idea of hiring people with a yard long list of qualifications is just an excuse (usually by someone who has no idea about what it really takes to do the job) for not wanting to train people to do the job the way you need it to be done.

Bob

Gordy

Paul48 said:

@Gordy
I added that last part, thinking you might get a chuckle. Boeing must be very dear to you, and I apologize, whole heartedly.

I have a cousin, his wife who he met at Boeing and both their daughters who work out in the Seattle facility. He was on the design team for the minute man missile if you remember that. All engineers.

SlamDunk

The average price for condos/houses in my town exceeds $500,000. many start at $900,000. (not mine ,mind you! I bought nearly 30 yrs ago). My neighbors are engineers, business owners, doctors, lawyers, computergeeks, software geeks , app creators and that is on my street alone. about ten houses.

what trade pays as well? i have young blue collar coworkers buying homes for@ $240,000 but their commute is at least an hour. they live but they cant save. And, that means their 401ks are underfunded.

I dont blame anyone who want better for their kids. Better means they can afford more.

I'll bet pro's here would rather get business frm these high end homes over low end homes where median income is say 35k for a family of three.

Paul48

@Dan Holohan
"And my prestigious society (GSMT) has trained tens of thousands of trades people for FREE, and has been doing so since 1785, and will keep doing so. We also generate lots of publicity about what we're doing and how we're doing it, and we gather lots of contributions to make it possible because we are irresistible in our positive outlook. It's true"

My statement was not meant, in any way, to belittle the work of the society. Is it possible that the society might consider adding a program designed to remove the stigma that has been placed on the trades. You sir, are the most influential person I know in this industry. If you are familiar with "Six Degrees of Seperation".......I don't know whom the ultimate person to get to is, but I suspect you may know. That's why I threw it back at you.

DanHolohan

Paul. One of our Brothers started the ACE Mentor Program. http://www.acementor.org/

That's a brilliant model of what's possible.

Come and visit. Thanks.

Erin Holohan Haskell

The mikeroweWORKS Foundation is also doing their part: "The mikeroweWORKS Foundation started the Profoundly Disconnected® campaign to challenge the absurd belief that a four-year degree is the only path to success."

"Through its scholarship programs, including the Work Ethic Scholarship Program, the Foundation provides financial assistance to qualified individuals with a desire to learn a skill that is in demand. The Foundation has been instrumental in granting more than $3 million in education for trade schools across the country."

http://profoundlydisconnected.com/

DanHolohan

There are solutions. We just need to get involved with them.

Thanks, Erin.

Solid_Fuel_Man

> @BobC said:
> We beat a lot of big companies out of contracts because we could turn on a dime, the big boys were laden down with bureaucracies that meant they couldn't respond nearly as fast as we could. The early bird gets the worm -believe it.
>
> After that company I worked as a consulting engineer (1995) for 6 years, we would go in to fix engineering problems that big companies couldn't handle because they were big and cumbersome. The common thread I saw was they were too compartmentalized and the various departments spent as much time fighting with each other as they did doing the job that had to be done.
>
> these companies got big because they did a good job at one point but then they got sidetracked and the infighting became the name of the game. The advent of human resource departments developed into a black whole of resources, they take gov't regulations and use them to increase their footprint and all that does is drive inefficiency.

>
> Bob

This is why I am personally so gun shy of government run anything. I have two government operated facilitiesin which I have installed and maintained boiler/building controls. The paperwork and security and plain BS is astronomical. Then the equipment I am forced to install so that some absurd spec is met makes the whole system cost 2x what a normal install would be, and makes it terribly inefficient on top of it all.

I'm for more of a local grassroots approach to some of these dilemmas. When I think government I think total inept inefficiency.

Ok, glad that's done.

Taylor

DanHolohan

A friend in Australia just shared this with me. It's Ford in 1917.

ChrisJ

DanHolohan said:

A friend in Australia just shared this with me. It's Ford in 1917.

https://youtu.be/S4KrIMZpwCY

DanHolohan

Thanks, Chris!

ChrisJ

DanHolohan said:

Thanks, Chris!

One of my jobs at work that I enjoy is maintaining the company's Ford model A.

Learned a lot about Ford when doing research on it.

ChrisJ

Here's another old manufacturing video of General Electric making the 1933 Monitor Top. They show them making the condensers, evaporators, checking tolerances on the compressor etc. It's amazing what we (America) were capable of in the 1920s and 1930s.


https://youtu.be/1TKzuEUN7cY?t=57s

DanHolohan

Gosh

CLamb

The American public has bought into the false elitist notion that intellectual labor is superior to physical labor. One thing that should be done is to stop high schools from measuring their success by what percentage of the graduates go on to college.

Paul48

If you're going to a regular high school, you must go on to college. There is no other way for "regular" high schools to measure their success.

Gordy

ChrisJ said:

Here's another old manufacturing video of General Electric making the 1933 Monitor Top. They show them making the condensers, evaporators, checking tolerances on the compressor etc. It's amazing what we (America) were capable of in the 1920s and 1930s.


https://youtu.be/1TKzuEUN7cY?t=57s

We still are very capable.

ChrisJ

Gordy said:

ChrisJ said:

Here's another old manufacturing video of General Electric making the 1933 Monitor Top. They show them making the condensers, evaporators, checking tolerances on the compressor etc. It's amazing what we (America) were capable of in the 1920s and 1930s.


https://youtu.be/1TKzuEUN7cY?t=57s

We still are very capable.

Yeah,
We are still capable, but it's not the same.

Gordy

What is, or would not be?

SlamDunk

CLamb said:

The American public has bought into the false elitist notion that intellectual labor is superior to physical labor. One thing that should be done is to stop high schools from measuring their success by what percentage of the graduates go on to college.

It is neither false nor elitist.

hot_rod

I didn't go to college and I feel successful?

I know some college grads that are un-employeed and not currently feeling successful.

What is the measurement of a high school success? Anymore it seems to be more about sports.

Billboards around all the small towns in Missouri shout out about the awards the local schools athletic programs has won.

Nothing about successful business people. Although the towns in Kansas along I-70 post what famous, or infamous politician came from their town.

I've seen little bragging about plumbers that protect the health of the nation

SlamDunk

oh! my neighbor owns his own plumbing business. his truck has a bumper sticker that says "if it werent for plumbers, people wouldnt have anywhere to go"

Gordy

SlamDunk said:

CLamb said:

The American public has bought into the false elitist notion that intellectual labor is superior to physical labor. One thing that should be done is to stop high schools from measuring their success by what percentage of the graduates go on to college.

It is neither false nor elitist.

Depends who you ask slam dunk.

SlamDunk

Really?

ChrisJ

Guys,
Dudes,

Let's chillax, it's almost Christmas.

https://youtu.be/TpqAUtzWDuw?t=24s

Erin Holohan Haskell

> @ChrisJ said:
> Guys,
> Dudes,
>
> Let's chillax, it's almost Christmas.

Yes. Thanks!