Politics and Religion
hacks
You also realize that GM is skilled in producing complex computerized machines in mass quantities. I can assure you the average automobile has more than 1500 parts.
There are almost always problems when tooling up for a new manufacturing job and rolling out finished products. I'm sure that GM will be getting help from the company they are sub-contracting with (Ventec Life). http://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/gm-confirms-production-of-ventilators-following-trump-criticism.html
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However, a process that works smoothly at a fully debugged facility in Washington (state) can not always be instantly duplicated someplace else. As supply chains change, adjustments have to be made (e.g., sheet metal screws from new Company A aren't performing the same way as those from old Company B). There is likely to be a slow start up to make sure everything is working as it should. As manufacturing problems arise, they need to be fixed on the fly.
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I think GM can do this (and I hope I'm right), but I don't expect them to be up to speed on Day 1.
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Which reminds me ... do any of you remember how the Japanese auto companies started clobbering the US auto companies, starting in the ~70s? Deming and Taguchi. For years, the US auto companies ignored Deming and his advice. The Japanese embraced his ideas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming
"Deming's teachings and philosophy are clearly illustrated by examining the results they produced after they were adopted by Japanese industry, as the following example shows. Ford Motor Company was simultaneously manufacturing a car model with transmissions made in Japan and the United States. Soon after the car model was on the market (c. 1950), Ford customers were requesting the model with Japanese transmissions over the US-made transmissions, and they were willing to wait for the Japanese model. As both transmissions were made to the same specifications, Ford engineers could not understand the customer preference for the model with Japanese transmissions."
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If you need one (and I hope you don't), will you want to be sustained by a Ventec (made in Washington) ventilator or a GM (made in MI) ventilator?
Good point. But all of the defective airbags were made at their Mexico plant. The airbags made in their German factory were not defective.
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That does show that items manufactured to the same specs by the same or similar means at different factories do not always perform to the same standard. 