Something to think about... Maybe?
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Senior Member
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From: Puyallup, WA
Something to think about... Maybe?
This has probably been posted all over the place, but I don't recall seeing it before, so forgive me and ignore if you have already heard it, but it kinda puts things in a 'funny' perspective for me....
Mitch
A MODERN PARABLE . .
A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (Ford) decided to
have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and
hard
to reach their peak performance before the race.
On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.
The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the
reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior
management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person
steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person
rowing.
Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a
consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second
opinion.
They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat,
while not enough people were rowing.
Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent
another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was
totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering
superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.
They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1
person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called
the
'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners, and free pens
for the rower There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and
other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.
The next year the Japanese won by two miles.
Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor
performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and
canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was
distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing
team was out-sourced to India.
Sadly, The End.
Here's something else to think about:
Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the
US, claiming they can't make money paying American wages.
TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants
inside the US. The last quarter's results:
TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in
losses.
Ford folks are still scratching their heads.
IF THIS WEREN'T TRUE, IT MIGHT BE FUNNY.
Mitch
A MODERN PARABLE . .
A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (Ford) decided to
have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and
hard
to reach their peak performance before the race.
On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.
The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the
reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior
management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person
steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person
rowing.
Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a
consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second
opinion.
They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat,
while not enough people were rowing.
Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent
another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was
totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering
superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.
They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1
person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called
the
'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners, and free pens
for the rower There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and
other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.
The next year the Japanese won by two miles.
Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor
performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and
canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was
distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing
team was out-sourced to India.
Sadly, The End.
Here's something else to think about:
Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the
US, claiming they can't make money paying American wages.
TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants
inside the US. The last quarter's results:
TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in
losses.
Ford folks are still scratching their heads.
IF THIS WEREN'T TRUE, IT MIGHT BE FUNNY.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,778
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From: Douglasville GA
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,056
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From: Missouri
It doesn't matter. Trucks are becoming a smaller market share as time goes by. Ford, GM, and Chrysler should have realized this a long time ago and spent their money on making reliable, fuel efficient vehicles that are actually APPEALING to people. That's what Honda and Toyota have been doing for a long time, and look where they are today.
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Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 3,858
Likes: 0
From: Rohnert Park, CA
It doesn't matter. Trucks are becoming a smaller market share as time goes by. Ford, GM, and Chrysler should have realized this a long time ago and spent their money on making reliable, fuel efficient vehicles that are actually APPEALING to people. That's what Honda and Toyota have been doing for a long time, and look where they are today.
I will bet Ford will start making there money back, but they wont be selling to us Americans. Our standard too high, taxes too high, too hard to turn a profit. WE need some change, as well as the Big 3 IMO. CA laws need to be changed. Allow the auto manufacturer to sell his cars across the country, not simply in a few select states. Plenty of vehicles are offered by the BIG 3, thats can't be bought in CA. Simple example, but still, shows how change is needed across the board.
(good post Mitch)
Ford lost money, Toyota gained money:
Quick question, if Ford outsources their factory, and then "import" their own cars... do they pay tariffs ???
If Toyota moves factories inside US, they would no longer pay tariffs, correct ?
Last edited by MercedesTech; Dec 4, 2008 at 07:04 PM.
Technical Article Contributor
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 6,509
Likes: 6
From: Georgia on my mind...
It's a little old, but I always thought this was funny.
How to Bake a Potato
How a Honda employee bakes a potato:
· Preheat new, high-quality oven to 350 F.
· Insert Idaho potato.
· Go do something productive for 45 minutes.
· Check for doneness.
· Then remove perfectly baked potato from oven and serve.
How a GM employee bakes a potato:
· Instruct an Idaho potato supplier to preheat the oven to 350 F.
· Demand that the supplier show you how he turned the dial to reach 350F, and have him come up with documentation from the oven manufacturer proving that it was calibrated properly.
· Review documentation, then have supplier check the temperature using sophisticated temperature probe.
· Direct supplier to insert potato and set timer for 45 minutes.
· Have supplier open oven to prove potato has been installed correctly, and request a free study proving that 45 minutes is the ideal time to bake a potato of this size.
· Check potato for doneness after 10 minutes.
· Check potato for doneness after 11 minutes.
· Check potato for doneness after 12 minutes.
· Become impatient with supplier (why is this simple potato taking so
· long to bake?).
· Demand status reports every five minutes.
· Check potato for doneness after 15 minutes…
· After 35 minutes, conclude that potato is nearing completion. Congratulate supplier, and then update your boss on all the great work you’ve done, despite having to work with such an uncooperative supplier.
· Remove potato from oven after 40 minutes of baking, as a cost savings; without loss of function or quality versus the original 45 minute baking time.
· Serve potato.
· Wonder aloud what on earth those Japanese folks are doing over there to make such good low-cost baked potatoes that people seem to like better than GM potatoes.
Daimler Chrysler’s Baked Potatoes:
· Design great looking potato.
· Include sour cream, bacon bits, chives and cheese.
· Bean counters then create MCM system.
· Engineers spend 2 years looking for ways to take out sour cream, bacon bits, chives, and cheese.
· Engineers find cheap imitation chives from Japanese supplier.
· Management commands engineers to use expensive, over-engineered German bacon bits to help prop up weak German suppliers.
· Sell potato with cheap imitation chives, no sour cream, cheese or expensive German bacon bits.
· Potato rots so fast customer swears never to buy another DCX potato.
Ford’s Baked Potatoes:
· Engineers create plain looking, “everyman” potato.
· Sold as “green” alternative to French Fries.
· When microwaved, potato explodes, causing death and injury to customers and bringing end to 100-year potato and butter-supplier relationship,……………Lawyers flourish.
How a Honda employee bakes a potato:
· Preheat new, high-quality oven to 350 F.
· Insert Idaho potato.
· Go do something productive for 45 minutes.
· Check for doneness.
· Then remove perfectly baked potato from oven and serve.
How a GM employee bakes a potato:
· Instruct an Idaho potato supplier to preheat the oven to 350 F.
· Demand that the supplier show you how he turned the dial to reach 350F, and have him come up with documentation from the oven manufacturer proving that it was calibrated properly.
· Review documentation, then have supplier check the temperature using sophisticated temperature probe.
· Direct supplier to insert potato and set timer for 45 minutes.
· Have supplier open oven to prove potato has been installed correctly, and request a free study proving that 45 minutes is the ideal time to bake a potato of this size.
· Check potato for doneness after 10 minutes.
· Check potato for doneness after 11 minutes.
· Check potato for doneness after 12 minutes.
· Become impatient with supplier (why is this simple potato taking so
· long to bake?).
· Demand status reports every five minutes.
· Check potato for doneness after 15 minutes…
· After 35 minutes, conclude that potato is nearing completion. Congratulate supplier, and then update your boss on all the great work you’ve done, despite having to work with such an uncooperative supplier.
· Remove potato from oven after 40 minutes of baking, as a cost savings; without loss of function or quality versus the original 45 minute baking time.
· Serve potato.
· Wonder aloud what on earth those Japanese folks are doing over there to make such good low-cost baked potatoes that people seem to like better than GM potatoes.
Daimler Chrysler’s Baked Potatoes:
· Design great looking potato.
· Include sour cream, bacon bits, chives and cheese.
· Bean counters then create MCM system.
· Engineers spend 2 years looking for ways to take out sour cream, bacon bits, chives, and cheese.
· Engineers find cheap imitation chives from Japanese supplier.
· Management commands engineers to use expensive, over-engineered German bacon bits to help prop up weak German suppliers.
· Sell potato with cheap imitation chives, no sour cream, cheese or expensive German bacon bits.
· Potato rots so fast customer swears never to buy another DCX potato.
Ford’s Baked Potatoes:
· Engineers create plain looking, “everyman” potato.
· Sold as “green” alternative to French Fries.
· When microwaved, potato explodes, causing death and injury to customers and bringing end to 100-year potato and butter-supplier relationship,……………Lawyers flourish.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 443
Likes: 0
From: Massachusetts
yes and yes. Here's another question, if Ford want's to build a factory in Alabama, will they get free land, free training and free taxes for the jobs they'll bring, or is that just for foreign auto makers?
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,512
Likes: 1
From: >wwOwww<
Technical Article Contributor
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 6,509
Likes: 6
From: Georgia on my mind...
As a dealer guy during the whole Firestone tire fiasco, I especially liked the "potato explodes, causing death and injury, ending 100 year butter/potato relationship" part. 