KC10 FATboy

I agree that the Big 3 haven't excactly made a great car in a very long time. But you should know that BMW's quality has slipped. VW, which used to be near or the industry's worst in reliability, has come up a good deal. Still, both are below industy standards.

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/new...df/2008063.pdf

-Fatty

alvrb211

My point was made with humor. The CFM-56 engines on the US Air A320 are actually French (Snecma) and American (GE).


It's true. Skodas were among the worst cars around. I was in one of the newer Skoda cabs in Europe recently. It was a lot like a VW Passat for good reason.

My very first car was a 1981 VW Rabbit. It was a very simple 4 banger and could handle the road like no other conmpact car. It was so good that I stuck with VW for years before switching to Audi which is the same firm.

I've yet to hear of something man made (from any part of the world) that isn't prone to problems.

As of now, all 3 of Qantas A380's have returned to service.


AL

alvrb211

Interesting report, if somewhat limited.

The 3 most efficient automobile plants are all in Japan and are all owned by Toyota. Globalisation presents manufacturers with great logistical and quality control challenges but nobody can touch the efficiency of Toyota's Just In Time program.

Toyota have shown the rest of the world, and America in particular, how to build cars. However, Toyota can build superior quality, mid sized sedans in Japan in 14.2 hours with 2 hours inventory.

It takes GM in Detroit over 30 hours with 2 months inventory.

Not hard to understand why there's problems in Detroit.

I notice Mercedes-Benz quality is superior at the moment. They too (like everyone else) have had quality issues in the past.

That's manufacturing. Quality issues are cyclical and caused by a multitude of factors.

In recent years, Cadillacs, among others, have been designed by European engineers. Thats why the new Cadillacs don't look like Grandpa's car anymore.

There's one key difference between the US and Japanese auto industry. There's an over supply of Engineers in Japan and the auto firms are run by engineers. Engineers tend to be passionate about what they build and care about the brand.

The US firms are run by financiers. They tend to be less passionate about what they build. They also know that their tenure will likely be 5 year or less. So, their goal is to make as much $$$ in the short term and the long term isn't their problem!

I wouldn't write off the US industry though. Much is being learned from Japan and Europe and efficiency is improving, albeit at a slow pace. The US factories need to be re-tooled for efficiency and revised portfolios.

I think we'll see big improvements in the US industry but we may lose at least one of the big 3.

It looks like the next casualty in the auto industry may be Saab. I've never driven one but I've heard they perform well. Can't say I've ever found it an appealing car though.

AL

dragon

Think that statement easily applies to the airlines as well. The ones run by Harvard MBA types seem to focus on the same idea. Wish more were airline guys first and spreadsheet ninjas second (or maybe third...)

JetPiedmont

US industry as a whole has been in a secular decline for decades. There is no industry that will be safe from this continued erosion. First it was manufacturing related industries that were targeted for outsourcing/off-shoring due to the high labor and environmental compliance costs, but now it's creeping into service industries as well. Look at Health Care, it's a disaster, and expensive. Fast food? Yuk. We all know about airlines, ATC and lack of runways. Lots of nice terminals and control towers, though. At least we have our priorities straight.

You have to wonder what they've been teaching in the big business schools the past few decades, and why the institutional investors and boardrooms are so committed to war with the working folks. Airlines and their employees, for example, used to be a point of pride in the US, with companies like Pan Am and TWA serving as ambassadors to the world. Well the pride is all but gone now, and with that the beginnings of a social erosion we're just now beginning to see.

This latest economic downturn, brought to you by those same wonder boys who have been decimating infrastructure and real industry, will foster some very interresting social/economic consequences by the time it's run its course.

forumname

Yeah, that was point of the original post. Glad the joke FINALLY made it through.

IXLR8

What's really funny is, that you may see the 350 before the 787...

alvrb211

How slippery of you.

I thought the real joke was your implied ethnocentrism.


As for Airbus, There's a certain US major that operates a very large fleet. The operational dispatch reliability is constantly above 99% with a very high utilization rate..........all that with no magicians in the MX hangar.

Don't hate what you dont understand!

Works well, lasts a long time.

Any questions?


AL

Ottopilot

Not likely...

Airbus 350: There are three variants of the A350 and all launched in 2006. The A350-900 is scheduled to enter service in 2013. The A350-800 is scheduled to enter service in 2014. The last model to enter service will be the A350-1000 scheduled in 2015.[52] All variants are available as a corporate-jet by Airbus Executive and Private Aviation.

Boeing 787: Boeing Schedules 787 Dreamliner First Flight for Second Quarter 2009; First Delivery for First Quarter 2010Schedule change driven by impact of Machinists' strike and fastener replacement work
EVERETT, Wash., Dec. 11, 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced an updated schedule for its all-new 787 Dreamliner program that moves the commercial jet's first flight into the second quarter of 2009 and first delivery into the first quarter of 2010. The new schedule reflects the impact of disruption caused by the recent Machinists' strike along with the requirement to replace certain fasteners in early production airplanes.

"Our industry team has made progress with structural testing, systems hardware qualification, and production, but we must adjust our schedule for these two unexpected disruptions," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson.

Prior to the strike that halted much of the company's commercial airplane work from early September into November, the 787 was to make its first flight late in the fourth quarter of 2008. First delivery was slated for the third quarter of 2009.

"We're laser focused on what needs to be done to prepare for first flight," said Pat Shanahan, 787 program vice president. "We will overcome this set of circumstances as we have others in the past, and we understand clearly what needs to be done moving forward."

Included in the preparations for first flight, Shanahan said, are finalizing and incorporating remaining engineering changes and completing systems testing, qualifications and certification.

Boeing is evaluating the specific impact of this delay on customer delivery dates and will provide customers with updated schedules once completed. The company is also determining any financial impact from this schedule change and will incorporate that into updated financial and overall airplane delivery guidance that will be released at a later date.

forumname

Wow, just wow.

Not really sure how "ethnocentrism" factored in about a joke that made reference to a car that had a reputation of not being too reliable at one time. Seems as if you're confusing my posts with another one made since you like using the word "ethnocentrism". Maybe if you go back and reread my post, you might be able to get the joke. Not sure where "slippery" factors in. You actually said yourself that Skodas were not the most reliable car, at one time. Kinda like Airbus products, at one time.

Oh well, sure is nice to see that some guys have a sense of humor

Any questions?