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There are days when I suspect that I’m prescient. This one proved to be one of them. I woke up feeling meaner than an irritated Cottonmouth. Coffee and entertaining the dog provided no relief.
I did manage to get through my morning without getting my wife angry with me, for a wonder. She joined me for coffee, and accompanied me outside with the dog, cheerfully filling me in on the current state of Arts and Crafts on the Ship. I didn’t say anything nasty or sarcastic, which took just about all the willpower I could summon up a couple of times.
Mike came to the rescue about twenty minutes later. He informed me that Allan was requesting that I attend a meeting with himself and some of his Purchasing people. He noted that he and his people were in his Offices, and that whenever I could show up would be good. I happily interpreted that to mean ASAP, made my excuses to the wife and the dog, and headed that direction.
Allan’s message had included linkage to about a ton of data. Mike informed me that it was pretty much summaries of Quality reports on the framework for our Solar Array and the Solar Panels themselves.
The Executive Summary gave me a fairly good clue as to why I was being requested to get involved. The quality of both the framework components and the Solar panels was not up to our standards. In the case of the framework parts, it was because corners were being cut with both some components of the alloy and the coating. Shockingly, it was always the more expensive components that seemed to be the problem, and it was always because of a lack of them, and never because of an overabundance. Every fourth or fifth shipment was testing out as substandard one way or another.
The Solar panels were suffering from both substandard materials and intermittent assembly problems, to the point that somewhere between nine and ten percent failed when tested.
That was really annoying some folks on our end, because we’d supplied automated test equipment for the panels. Feed the panels into it on a conveyor belt, and it plugs into each one, rolls it into the tester, runs through a series of light levels, measures the response times and power output levels, and either rolls it out the other end as acceptable, or pushes it out the side as defective. Our people were of the opinion that they were either not testing at all or were simply ignoring the results.
That was about as far into it as I got before arriving at the Finance offices. They knew I was coming, and I was intercepted ten feet inside the door and escorted to a conference room. I scanned the dozen or so Karn present, and could read their expressions well enough to know that they were all fairly seriously annoyed. Allan looked downright homicidal.
Given that I was still feeling quite out of sorts myself, I figured that as long it wasn’t me that he was contemplating killing, I’d just go with the flow. I couldn’t resist a little bit of snarking.
“So. How may External Affairs assist the Finance Department today? Did someone hijack the Armored Car with the payroll? Are the Bulgarian Secret Police infiltrating Accounting? What’s got everyone so annoyed?”
Karn obscenity and scatology doesn’t always translate well. I can figure it out if I spend five minutes doing research into the concepts involved, but there are other times when it’s quite clear right up front. “Mindless herd beasts defecating poisons onto their own grazing grounds” made fairly good sense to me without needing any research.
I inquired if he was annoyed with our Chinese suppliers, and got the other half of the story.
As it developed, the quality problems were only the first brick in the wall. After dealing with the usual smokescreen regarding testing methods, calibration, and everything else that could be thrown at the wall to see if anything stuck, the ultimate response we got from both of the suppliers amounted to “What you see is what you are going to get.”
Allan had set out to put our own on-site inspectors at their plants to screen out defective products before we shipped them up, but the Chinese Government had monkey wrenched that idea by being tremendously difficult about Visas for our inspection people. They were also being as difficult as possible over a lot of other things all of a sudden.
After spending about five minutes being filled in on what was actually happening, things started to cluster together, and I thought I saw a lightbulb come on.
“OK. Are we having issues with anything else we’re getting from China?”
As it developed, we were. Battery components, in fact. Nobody was getting all worked up over that one simply because they weren’t even for us. We were doing the final assembly and charging them on the Ship, and shipping them back to Earth. The light bulb got brighter.
“Try this on for size. They apparently think they have us over a barrel of one sort or another. I’m guessing I know what it is about. Are we sourcing all the materials for the Batteries, Solar panels, and Array framework there?”
I pretty much knew we were, and got it confirmed. Our policy was to be plowing as much money back into Earth’s economy as we took out. Between power plants, batteries, medical ‘bots and a few other things, we were pulling a lot of cash in, and were doing our best to keep the balance of trade balanced.
“Well, they got too cute by half on this one. They think that we need their minerals and rare earth supplies. So they figure they can mess with us and jack up their prices, or profits, or both. I think we can fix their little red wagon fairly easily. We do have alternate sources checked out, don’t we?”
We did. We had started off in China simply because they had all the raw materials, and we didn’t want to supply things we could buy.
“All right. My recommendations would be to contact the Suppliers and tell them that we are cancelling their contracts for non-performance. Do the same with the Battery component supplier, and pick out anyone else you can who even looks a bit less than outstanding, and put them all on notice that they are going over the side in a week or so. The bigger the contract, the better, since we want to make it look as if we’re going to take our marbles and go away. Make sure that everyone down there finds out that we’re changing sources on those things, and that they also find out that we’re furnishing any feedstocks that might be lacking. Then wait and see if someone doesn’t start crawfishing. I think they will.”
Allan and his staff spent ten minutes going back and forth over the idea. Finally he turned to me and announced “You realize what this is going to do to our schedule if you are wrong about them backing off, don’t you?”
“If you give them this one, one can only wonder what they’ll try to take next time. They will eat our schedule up a bite at a time if we let them get started. Should we call a Board meeting and run it past the whole group?”
“They would just do the same thing I am, and assume that you know more about what motivates Humans than we do. “
“I just hope that the infinite wisdom of our Board of Directors once more proves to be correct. I’m betting that I’ve got it figured out, but I have been known to raise the pot when I was betting against four of a kind, too. It happens occasionally.”
“Not this time, I do not suspect.”
“Oh, one other suggestion, if I might. Stop all shipments of our goods to China, immediately. Tell them that we’re having issues with our Shuttles, or whatever, but quit sending them anything. If we’re trying to make them nervous, let them chew on that one for a while, along with losing all the business.”
Allan laughed. “If I understand Poker correctly, you are suggesting that we raise the pot, then?”
“You got it in one.”
I did manage to get through my morning without getting my wife angry with me, for a wonder. She joined me for coffee, and accompanied me outside with the dog, cheerfully filling me in on the current state of Arts and Crafts on the Ship. I didn’t say anything nasty or sarcastic, which took just about all the willpower I could summon up a couple of times.
Mike came to the rescue about twenty minutes later. He informed me that Allan was requesting that I attend a meeting with himself and some of his Purchasing people. He noted that he and his people were in his Offices, and that whenever I could show up would be good. I happily interpreted that to mean ASAP, made my excuses to the wife and the dog, and headed that direction.
Allan’s message had included linkage to about a ton of data. Mike informed me that it was pretty much summaries of Quality reports on the framework for our Solar Array and the Solar Panels themselves.
The Executive Summary gave me a fairly good clue as to why I was being requested to get involved. The quality of both the framework components and the Solar panels was not up to our standards. In the case of the framework parts, it was because corners were being cut with both some components of the alloy and the coating. Shockingly, it was always the more expensive components that seemed to be the problem, and it was always because of a lack of them, and never because of an overabundance. Every fourth or fifth shipment was testing out as substandard one way or another.
The Solar panels were suffering from both substandard materials and intermittent assembly problems, to the point that somewhere between nine and ten percent failed when tested.
That was really annoying some folks on our end, because we’d supplied automated test equipment for the panels. Feed the panels into it on a conveyor belt, and it plugs into each one, rolls it into the tester, runs through a series of light levels, measures the response times and power output levels, and either rolls it out the other end as acceptable, or pushes it out the side as defective. Our people were of the opinion that they were either not testing at all or were simply ignoring the results.
That was about as far into it as I got before arriving at the Finance offices. They knew I was coming, and I was intercepted ten feet inside the door and escorted to a conference room. I scanned the dozen or so Karn present, and could read their expressions well enough to know that they were all fairly seriously annoyed. Allan looked downright homicidal.
Given that I was still feeling quite out of sorts myself, I figured that as long it wasn’t me that he was contemplating killing, I’d just go with the flow. I couldn’t resist a little bit of snarking.
“So. How may External Affairs assist the Finance Department today? Did someone hijack the Armored Car with the payroll? Are the Bulgarian Secret Police infiltrating Accounting? What’s got everyone so annoyed?”
Karn obscenity and scatology doesn’t always translate well. I can figure it out if I spend five minutes doing research into the concepts involved, but there are other times when it’s quite clear right up front. “Mindless herd beasts defecating poisons onto their own grazing grounds” made fairly good sense to me without needing any research.
I inquired if he was annoyed with our Chinese suppliers, and got the other half of the story.
As it developed, the quality problems were only the first brick in the wall. After dealing with the usual smokescreen regarding testing methods, calibration, and everything else that could be thrown at the wall to see if anything stuck, the ultimate response we got from both of the suppliers amounted to “What you see is what you are going to get.”
Allan had set out to put our own on-site inspectors at their plants to screen out defective products before we shipped them up, but the Chinese Government had monkey wrenched that idea by being tremendously difficult about Visas for our inspection people. They were also being as difficult as possible over a lot of other things all of a sudden.
After spending about five minutes being filled in on what was actually happening, things started to cluster together, and I thought I saw a lightbulb come on.
“OK. Are we having issues with anything else we’re getting from China?”
As it developed, we were. Battery components, in fact. Nobody was getting all worked up over that one simply because they weren’t even for us. We were doing the final assembly and charging them on the Ship, and shipping them back to Earth. The light bulb got brighter.
“Try this on for size. They apparently think they have us over a barrel of one sort or another. I’m guessing I know what it is about. Are we sourcing all the materials for the Batteries, Solar panels, and Array framework there?”
I pretty much knew we were, and got it confirmed. Our policy was to be plowing as much money back into Earth’s economy as we took out. Between power plants, batteries, medical ‘bots and a few other things, we were pulling a lot of cash in, and were doing our best to keep the balance of trade balanced.
“Well, they got too cute by half on this one. They think that we need their minerals and rare earth supplies. So they figure they can mess with us and jack up their prices, or profits, or both. I think we can fix their little red wagon fairly easily. We do have alternate sources checked out, don’t we?”
We did. We had started off in China simply because they had all the raw materials, and we didn’t want to supply things we could buy.
“All right. My recommendations would be to contact the Suppliers and tell them that we are cancelling their contracts for non-performance. Do the same with the Battery component supplier, and pick out anyone else you can who even looks a bit less than outstanding, and put them all on notice that they are going over the side in a week or so. The bigger the contract, the better, since we want to make it look as if we’re going to take our marbles and go away. Make sure that everyone down there finds out that we’re changing sources on those things, and that they also find out that we’re furnishing any feedstocks that might be lacking. Then wait and see if someone doesn’t start crawfishing. I think they will.”
Allan and his staff spent ten minutes going back and forth over the idea. Finally he turned to me and announced “You realize what this is going to do to our schedule if you are wrong about them backing off, don’t you?”
“If you give them this one, one can only wonder what they’ll try to take next time. They will eat our schedule up a bite at a time if we let them get started. Should we call a Board meeting and run it past the whole group?”
“They would just do the same thing I am, and assume that you know more about what motivates Humans than we do. “
“I just hope that the infinite wisdom of our Board of Directors once more proves to be correct. I’m betting that I’ve got it figured out, but I have been known to raise the pot when I was betting against four of a kind, too. It happens occasionally.”
“Not this time, I do not suspect.”
“Oh, one other suggestion, if I might. Stop all shipments of our goods to China, immediately. Tell them that we’re having issues with our Shuttles, or whatever, but quit sending them anything. If we’re trying to make them nervous, let them chew on that one for a while, along with losing all the business.”
Allan laughed. “If I understand Poker correctly, you are suggesting that we raise the pot, then?”
“You got it in one.”
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