Extreme Pride of Workmanship

The Keeper Wife is a thinker. She doesn't watch television commercials; she analyzes them. So I've given a lot of thought to her comments.

One trend that particularly worries me is rooted in my engineering experience. The problems I see with manufacturing are framed nicely with the immediate reality of American cars. We look at the shiny bits and hear tinkling bells... and buy.

Quality manufacturing (to me) was never about the shiny bits. For instance, the moment someone put a Leica IIIf camera in my hands I could hardly catch my breath. It was 30 years old at the time and still had such nobility I wanted to know how they did every step. (I ultimately traveled to Wetzlar, Germany to find out. The answer? Extreme pride of workmanship.)

These days the public is now being sold sizzle versus steak-- with virtually all products. That is why our valuations of product value (and by extension, manufacturing) are so wanting-- we know the product cycle is so short that "I'll get another one anyway."

This cheapening of our values is also illustrated with things like "100k-mile drivetrain warranties" or product underwriting that is calculated (key word) to encompass the 20% returns. On the surface, people have become such idiots and suckers that they swell, Wowow! 100k-mile drivetrain warranty means it's really improved!!

In reality, we have become conscripted as Beta testers. Manufacturing has been forced away from issues of real quality-- just faux "JD Powers initial quality." Things have become so cheap and disposable that companies no longer care if stuff ultimately works-- just hurry up and get it out the door. Companies evaluate revenue from 80% who will buy and go away quietly with the 20% who might seek a replacement... which replacement they'll either get or more likely be tripped up with the process of rebates, forms, corporate refund cards, recalls, refurbished models, reverse logistics, seconds, or some another program to get them to go away. Who cares if they're dissatisfied? Statistically they're throwaways.

Watch the left hand when the right hand is visible.

We in manufacturing are the behind-the-scenes people who have historical pride of workmanship, but it's a different era. We're dinosaurs. The trend is toward trickery and lax attitudes. Sharper pencils winnow the losses. Quality work is thwarted by economies, marketing, and general public sentiment... illustrated by willingness to buy an American automobile with drum brakes, live axles and spongy steering... replete with 20% recalls... all because it has a sparkly paint job.

Cheers
Lee