Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

[Sport Rider]

I would have liked to be a fly on the wall in that meeting.

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Sport Rider

I would have liked to be a fly on the wall in that meeting.

Me, too.

I finally got a response today, only I was just copied on the email. It wasn’t to me. It was the usual form letter stating, “We’re very sorry. We’ll do better.” Then it went on about increasing and documenting quality testing and procedures that need to be signed off on, along with more stringent testing.

Gee, sounds like the same shit that my guys and the sales staff have been bitching about for the last five years. My Mexican cohorts are excited about the response but to me it’s just more lip service.

I think I only have something like 25 work days left and the bulk of them are going to be in the Yucatán. I’m gonna have one hell of a suntan.

[Darkrider]

Originally Posted by cheesy

I think I only have something like 25 work days left and the bulk of them are going to be in the Yucatán. I’m gonna have one hell of a suntan.

[cheesy]

Well, this week just keeps getting better and better for the drones in Beaufort. The 360 in NJ that was a replacement for previous POS 360 is now coming back because it is also a POS.

If I keep on being right, I may need to buy a lottery ticket.

[TominMO]

Epic drama. To equal it after you retire, I am going to have to go back to watching Battlestar Galactica or something. The remake with the chick Starbuck, not Ben Cartwright in outer space. The older one was too cheesy.

Sorry.....

[cheesy]

No worries, Tom. The original Battlestar Galatica was cutting edge in the mid seventies. My other half and I saw it in the theater a few times. Best was with SenseSurround. But yeah, pales is comparison now. I used to love The Lone Ranger while sitting in front of the old B&W Curtis Mathis. I've tried to watch it a few times recently and thought I must have had pretty low standards as a kid.

The guys and I went out to correct a major cluster on one of the 360s today before heading back to Cancun. Our machines have front steering and hi rail axles that are supposed to oscillate when the stabilizers are disengaged, and become rigid when engaged. Oscillation acts as suspension while rolling along and rigid helps when lifting. There is an air over hydraulic negative pressure valve on each axle, plumbed in parallel, with the valve on the steering axle feeding the valve on the hi rail axle. This done with tees on the steering axle valve; one tee handling air, the other handling oil. We found that the fcukwits in Beaufort tied an air line and oil line to each tee and then told me it was fully tested. Uh-huh. This professional installation caused the stabilizers to be permanently engaged. I almost put a $500,000.00, 57,000lb machine on its side, in front of the customer, because of it.

So now, management in Beaufort has gone into full CYA mode. I was asked to not talk down to anybody there. Told them that's not happening and that I am going scorched earth on them. They are shitting bricks right now because, besides me threatening to go after their skin, the deal for the equipment had to go through the Mexican Government this time. And they ain't happy, either. That's a whole 'nother can of worms.

[cheesy]

The trip wasn't all bad. Ate some great food, probably drank a bit more Mezcal than I should have, and worked with some great people. I stayed at the Hotel Waye' (Wha-Yay)in Valladolid. Clean, quiet, and inexpensive.


The guys, and girl, that I trained were really great to be around. These are the some of the guys I trained. The old guy on the right is the head equipment engineer, Pablo. He was kind of a hard ass when we first started running the machines, but even with the problems, he saw that I knew my shit and mellowed out. Patted each others backs when we learned we are both retiring soon. He's going the end of the month and I'm going the end of June, if not sooner.


The girl is Angela. She is the Manager of Training for ICA, the outfit that is running this project. After I got done training the guys on using the magnet on these older 360s, I pointed to Angela and told her it was her turn. She was scared shitless but she did it.


This is an abandoned railroad in the Mayan jungle where I did some of the training. I was told that if I needed to step off the tracks and into the jungle to take care of business, to keep an eye open for Jaguars. I stayed pretty close.


The old church in the town square. Supposedly dates from the 1500s.


The restaurants are great. We went to one in the old part of town that was basically open air. Critters walk in and out and no one bats an eye. In this one, I was sitting on a bench and having a stare down with a cat. After I started eating, the little poop started playing with my wallet chain and yanked my wallet out of my pocket. Twice.

There are Chinabikes everywhere down here. Mostly Italika. Some still look new and some looked like they are ready for the scrap heap but they were all running. They are cheap transportation here, not toys.

The rail project down here, Tren Maya, is the largest rail project in this hemisphere. When finished in three years(wishful thinking), it will run 1118 miles. I know money is being spent because I have never seen so much heavy equipment in one place.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by cheesy

No worries, Tom. The original Battlestar Galatica was cutting edge in the mid seventies. My other half and I saw it in the theater a few times. Best was with SenseSurround. But yeah, pales in comparison now. I used to love The Lone Ranger while sitting in front of the old B&W Curtis Mathis. I've tried to watch it a few times recently and thought I must have had pretty low standards as a kid.

So now, management in Beaufort has gone into full CYA mode. I was asked to not talk down to anybody there. Told them that's not happening and that I am going scorched earth on them. They are shitting bricks right now because, besides me threatening to go after their skin, the deal for the equipment had to go through the Mexican Government this time. And they ain't happy, either. That's a whole 'nother can of worms.

Lone Ranger was good stuff. As much for 1950s adults as kids, getting into local corruption and shady business dealings for example. Wish they had made Tonto less stereotypical though. At least let him say "I" instead of "Me"! But it was the '50s.

(Skipped commentary on the second paragraph because it was in some strange language me could not recognize.)

If whoever is at the top of your company has more than two brain cells, they need to do a lot of firing and hire you back in a position with much more oversight on operations--maybe VP of Operations or something like that. Maybe you'd be the hatchet man. Sounds like they need you or some other really annoying person who tells the truth to keep them afloat. Because when you leave and if the status quo remains the same, it will inevitably go down, and the newly-unemployed schmucks will have some convenient excuse ready that absolves them of any culpability.

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by TominMO

Wish they had made Tonto less stereotypical though. At least let him say "I" instead on "Me"! But it was the '50s.

Oh, yeah. Being of Native American heritage, I always found it insulting.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Oh, yeah. Being of Native American heritage, I always found it insulting.

Ed Ames playing Mingo in Daniel Boone, starting in the mid-60s, was much better. Progress.

[cheesy]

To quote John Lennon, "A strange day indeed."

Got a call from Harold this morning. He asked if I had given any thought about staying on past June 30. I just laughed and said, not going to happen. Said I was done with the lies, broken promises, and BS. I did say that I would be willing to consult, but only on my terms and if I didn't want anything to do with Customer A, I don't go. Said he'd have to get back to me.

Later this morning, I got a call from a new VP we hired a couple months ago. Said he'd been lying low and watching how things are being run in Beaufort before reaching out to the field guys. He was going to wait a bit longer until he saw the videos we sent from Mexico. Said he felt he needed to act.
He asked my opinion of Beaufort and I told him. Held no punches. And...he agreed with me. Then he said that he'd been told that I had over 20 years of production experience from one of the field guys before coming here. I said, yeah.

"Did you mention this when the place was being set up?"

"Yup."

"And...?"

"I was shut down by both the 'Al and Marlene Shitshow' and 'Belair Enterprises'."

"Belair Enterprises?"

"Yeah, the former plant superintendent. Told us all the Elgin employees were a cancer on the company. The nitwit with the long grey beard was his toady. He should have been sent packing, too"

"Really? I've never heard any of this."

"You won't if you keep listening to Al and Harold. Listen to the two guys you're going to see today."

Then we discussed documentation that isn't happening, testing that isn't happening, lack of accountability, effed up CS. Then we talked about how to fix it. I suggested better and more concise training. Also institute stepped disciplinary action; write up, followed by a 3 day suspension w/o pay, then termination. Gasp, he agreed and he suggested we send the production guys into the field to see the problems their fcuk ups cause. Where was this guy five years ago when I suggested that?

I'm already starting to like this guy.

[Sport Rider]

don't let him suck you back in!!!!!!

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Sport Rider

don't let him suck you back in!!!!!!

Harold is actually a very cheap SOB. Sold his family farm for almost $2M five years ago. I asked why he hadn't retired then and there at 62 and he said he didn't want to pay $1700 a month for health insurance until he was eligible for Medicare. Then Beaufort shafted all of us on the insurance.

I plan on setting my daily fee so high that he'll have shortness of breath and start foaming at the mouth.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by cheesy

I plan on setting my daily fee so high that he'll have shortness of breath and start foaming at the mouth.

Just make sure to do it in person for maximum visual enjoyment.

I see you know how to negotiate from a position of strength; and that the ultimate strength is being able to walk away. The Art of the Deal, by some obscure game-show host.....

[cheesy]

Well now, it seems that my email calling all of management at Beaufort, fcukwits, without actually saying it, landed on the desk of the international CEO. My paid informant told me there was a long and loud, one sided, come to Jesus speech from Alex. Then Big Al went on a last minute vacation. The Production Manager, he of the Razor Cut, and the US CEO, are simultaneously at each other's throat and doing CYA. Harold wants to be pissed at me but he knew this was coming.

One of the sales guys told me that whatever I did, keep on doing it. I'm just gonna sit back and smile.