From: Dehede011@aol.com
Date: Fri Nov 29 2002 - 21:20:28 MST
In a message dated 11/29/2002 7:34:27 PM Central Standard Time,
neptune@mars.superlink.net writes: "Some of my conversations with business
and labor leaders whose companies are hit hard by imports remind me of the
gripes of students who cut class, do not do their homework, and then complain
when you give them a low grade." (p.118)
Professor Caplan,
Let me identify myself as a retired management consultant in
manufacturing and as an Industrial Engineer before that. I held all the
usual positions in manufacturing from line foreman, manager of industrial
engineering, inspector, production worker, plant manager, etc from 1951 and
1999. Along the way I picked up a BS (manufacturing) from Washington
University in St. Louis and an MBA (manufacturing) from the University of
Chicago in Chicago.
My response was triggered by the accuracy of your analysis. Let me go
a little further. I met almost none in manufacturing that I felt had done
their homework and could be said to have learned their trade. Off hand I
can't remember if the number that impressed me was one man or two.
But you have to realize two things when you denigrate our
manufacturing leaders from the front line manager level up to President of a
manufacturing firm:
1. They have not been trained to understand manufacturing processes at the
macro level (looked at from a plant wide view) and are only slightly better
when looking at manufacturing processes at the single workstation level.
Some understand the single workstation level but almost none can look at an
entire plant level and tell you how to measure productivity. As a quick test
ask one at any level why Demings question: "Do you want quality or
productivity" was just plain dumb?
You might also consider that I worked 18 years as an industrial
engineer, had both of my degrees, had received many raises and promotions but
still had not gotten even basic training in my profession -- Universities do
a good job of teaching but they leave the young IE without a full bag of his
technical tools. In my experience that is entirely common with engineers and
all manufacturing managers.
2. The manufacturing managers are not hired or promoted primarily for the
ability to improve productivity even though much lip service is paid to doing
so. Basically sales dominates the question of a manager keeping his job.
That manager has to be able to tell sales where the orders are in the process
and be able to expedite them if he/she wishes to survive. The upper levels
had best be able to find, and train lower level managers in those skills if
they are to keep their jobs.
The result is that a guy like myself can almost run through a factory
and spot the opportunities to cut cost and improve throughput while making
the quality at least no worse; in cases where quality is a cost issue you
improve it.
Thank you I haven't had a chance to talk a little manufacturing for a
while.
Ron h.
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