I hear you Steve, but take a different approach though have come up through
the "ranks" many times as you. I go into a new situation expecting, as you,
management to be lacking the dirty hands for never having been involved.

If they don't listen up front, and seldom do they, then I go to their
sphincter and demonstrate what's coming out as "burnt money" and correlate
that with what could be saved - while demonstrating how. If they don't
listen then, and some do, I contract with someone who, hopefully, will. I
know we don't all have that "luxury" but I can't stand wasting my time, and
theirs, in futile attempts at managing processes instead of results as
defect. It's just too easy to show cause and effect and what negative effect
costs.

Earl Moon
----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen R. Gregory <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, October 09, 1999 3:28 PM
Subject: Re: [TN] Wave solder pot temperatures...


> In a message dated 10/9/99 9:45:51 AM Central Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> > Hi Steve,
> >
> >  Relax Steve.......   Why don't you let your management do the hard work
?
> >  It's them who are responsible for the "we've always done it this way"
> >  atmosphere.
> >  Face the facts : the specification cannot be changed ("we've always
done it
> >  this way") and your machine doesn't meet it.
> >  The solution is simple :  your company has to invest in a better
machine
> (if
> >  any available that's good enough) or leave pcb-assembly business and
start
> >  baking cookies. The latter is of course only an option if your reflow
oven
> >  performs within specification ;-)
> >  Putting it this way means it's hardly a technical problem anymore, but
a
> >  managerial issue.
> >  Not everybody will like this attitude, but it definitely saves you some
> time
> >  to work on the problems where your expertise really matters.
> >
> >  Daan Terstegge
>
> Hi Daan!
>
> Earl did bring-up some very valid points. Management here (like most
places,
> we're not much different than a lot of companies) don't want to get their
> hands dirty and going down into the hellish depths of actually being on
the
> manufacturing floor to see first hand how the company makes its living.
They
> hire guys like Earl, me, and all of the rest of you poor souls to deal
with
> that.
>
> Problem is, the only input they want to get is just "bean counting"
> information, they don't want to be bothered with the details of the
reality
> of all the processes...it's just pure bottom-line.
>
> I suppose I could do a nice, to the point, economical justification to
change
> things, buy new equipment, or what have you...if I had the time. Usually,
I
> spend my time fighting fires (those of you that know what I'm talking
about,
> know what I'm talking about...) reactionary responses to things is the way
> that I work...I know I'm not alone...and I hate working that way. But I'm
> just a little cog in the machine...and have to face that fact...
>
> Thinking about something from my military days, I wish there were more
people
> in management were what we called "Mustangs" in the Navy. These were
officers
> that were once enlisted that came up through the ranks to be an officer. I
> had 10-times more respect for these officers, because they knew what was
like
> to be enlisted, and what it took to command a organization...
>
> -Steve Gregory-
>
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