I was involved with pumps or rather their control systems.
Where did the British car industry go wrong?
- Thread starter fillyboy
- Start date
I was involved with pumps or rather their control systems.
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A bit on Leyland. First problem was selling the mini for less than it cost to make. They weren't the only ones to do that and may be exaggerated so say not enough profit especially for completely new models so turned out what were called kit cars by some - chassis & floorpan say from an existing model plus a new body and that sort of thing.
The assembly line was often in the news. I have known people who worked on it and plenty of other people who knew some one as well. There was absolutely no way anyone could earn as much as the papers and tv claimed - no where near it. Problems came over pay. Traditionally they only worked when cars were needed and laid off when not. Sales are very seasonal. So eventually unions negotiated a deal where they were paid all year round cars needed or not. This is where Red Robo comes in. Very easy to do something that will cause a strike. So don't want any cars easy create one - no laid off pay outgoings then.
I actually worked in a place that did the same thing. Come August a strike would always be used for a pay round negotiation. They never lasted for long and the people who did it where the ones that kept the factory equipment working. Bright new general manager. High level director just below the main board. He ran the factory flat out for several months in preparation and filled the warehouses. Pay round came up and he just refused to talk to them so not settled for months and months. Settled when stock ran down. Settled for what it probably would have been anyway. General manager tells main board - well if all had been sold there would have been a small profit. Being staff and not works I worked all of the way through it. Many didn't.
Another place I worked at in the same group. Door open so walked into the general managers office. He was on the phone which had a second headphone and his number one was listening in. After they had finished I asked what it was about. Being told how to cause trouble with his workforce.
He didn't want any. A lot of this sort of thing was going on. Strikes were wanted and not by the company who hardly ever had any. Usually just short ones by the lot known as works engineers - they fix and wire the kit used to make stuff. Production stops as soon as something breaks if they are out.
One of my very early jobs was moulding in Made In Great Britain on a number of products. Several months later removing it. Many things went to Taiwan eventually. This was before the time when Made In Great Britain might be put on some small part of something or the other that was mostly made elsewhere.
Way before there were many about I was given the job of looking at as many foriegn cars as possible to see what battery etc they were fitted with. At that time it was extremely unusual to see any foreign cars on our roads at all.
Then Mrs T made it far easier for investments to go elsewhere. Did she have to do what she did in this area - yes. Did she have to bash unions so hard. Probably not and it's left things too lop sided so people tend to get inflationary pay rises that long term depress their real income and there are far more things to buy. Answer pass. Wilson legislated the pay rise one year. It lead to an explosion in share deals and company cars. Now we have the minimum wage - an idea the Tory lot hated when it was introduced but is a form of control.
What happened to manufacture in general is another story.
The assembly line was often in the news. I have known people who worked on it and plenty of other people who knew some one as well. There was absolutely no way anyone could earn as much as the papers and tv claimed - no where near it. Problems came over pay. Traditionally they only worked when cars were needed and laid off when not. Sales are very seasonal. So eventually unions negotiated a deal where they were paid all year round cars needed or not. This is where Red Robo comes in. Very easy to do something that will cause a strike. So don't want any cars easy create one - no laid off pay outgoings then.
I actually worked in a place that did the same thing. Come August a strike would always be used for a pay round negotiation. They never lasted for long and the people who did it where the ones that kept the factory equipment working. Bright new general manager. High level director just below the main board. He ran the factory flat out for several months in preparation and filled the warehouses. Pay round came up and he just refused to talk to them so not settled for months and months. Settled when stock ran down. Settled for what it probably would have been anyway. General manager tells main board - well if all had been sold there would have been a small profit. Being staff and not works I worked all of the way through it. Many didn't.
Another place I worked at in the same group. Door open so walked into the general managers office. He was on the phone which had a second headphone and his number one was listening in. After they had finished I asked what it was about. Being told how to cause trouble with his workforce.
He didn't want any. A lot of this sort of thing was going on. Strikes were wanted and not by the company who hardly ever had any. Usually just short ones by the lot known as works engineers - they fix and wire the kit used to make stuff. Production stops as soon as something breaks if they are out.One of my very early jobs was moulding in Made In Great Britain on a number of products. Several months later removing it. Many things went to Taiwan eventually. This was before the time when Made In Great Britain might be put on some small part of something or the other that was mostly made elsewhere.
Way before there were many about I was given the job of looking at as many foriegn cars as possible to see what battery etc they were fitted with. At that time it was extremely unusual to see any foreign cars on our roads at all.
Then Mrs T made it far easier for investments to go elsewhere. Did she have to do what she did in this area - yes. Did she have to bash unions so hard. Probably not and it's left things too lop sided so people tend to get inflationary pay rises that long term depress their real income and there are far more things to buy. Answer pass. Wilson legislated the pay rise one year. It lead to an explosion in share deals and company cars. Now we have the minimum wage - an idea the Tory lot hated when it was introduced but is a form of control.What happened to manufacture in general is another story.
The top management were seriously clever guys, the top man at Blyth was Bob Klotz and he spent ages with me - a true human dynamo that used to run round the place.
The top engineers were great too but it was the sheer uncooperation of others that got to me.....they hated the management, their jobs and even themselves. Hopeless.
John
The top engineers were great too but it was the sheer uncooperation of others that got to me.....they hated the management, their jobs and even themselves. Hopeless.
John
D
Deleted member 18243
I arrived on site with a truck with an alternator rotor on board at Radcliffe power station in Notts, in the 1970’s all the way from Blyth B station. Got there at 2pm Friday but they wouldn’t unload me as it was too close to knocking off time at 5.....maximum time for the thing to be craned of was one hour. Spent the whole bloody weekend in the cab
The workforce hated the management and they also hated themselves. Horrible times.
John
Typical union tale. Mrs. Thatcher stopped all that.
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D
Deleted member 18243
Ok well I saw the program last week and yes it could have been a repeat but it can't be that old.
A bit on Leyland. First problem was selling the mini for less than it cost to make. They weren't the only ones to do that and may be exaggerated so say not enough profit especially for completely new models so turned out what were called kit cars by some - chassis & floorpan say from an existing model plus a new body and that sort of thing.
The assembly line was often in the news. I have known people who worked on it and plenty of other people who knew some one as well. There was absolutely no way anyone could earn as much as the papers and tv claimed - no where near it. Problems came over pay. Traditionally they only worked when cars were needed and laid off when not. Sales are very seasonal. So eventually unions negotiated a deal where they were paid all year round cars needed or not. This is where Red Robo comes in. Very easy to do something that will cause a strike. So don't want any cars easy create one - no laid off pay outgoings then.
I actually worked in a place that did the same thing. Come August a strike would always be used for a pay round negotiation. They never lasted for long and the people who did it where the ones that kept the factory equipment working. Bright new general manager. High level director just below the main board. He ran the factory flat out for several months in preparation and filled the warehouses. Pay round came up and he just refused to talk to them so not settled for months and months. Settled when stock ran down. Settled for what it probably would have been anyway. General manager tells main board - well if all had been sold there would have been a small profit. Being staff and not works I worked all of the way through it. Many didn't.
Another place I worked at in the same group. Door open so walked into the general managers office. He was on the phone which had a second headphone and his number one was listening in. After they had finished I asked what it was about. Being told how to cause trouble with his workforce.
One of my very early jobs was moulding in Made In Great Britain on a number of products. Several months later removing it. Many things went to Taiwan eventually. This was before the time when Made In Great Britain might be put on some small part of something or the other that was mostly made elsewhere.
Way before there were many about I was given the job of looking at as many foriegn cars as possible to see what battery etc they were fitted with. At that time it was extremely unusual to see any foreign cars on our roads at all.
What happened to manufacture in general is another story.
Great story and insight ajohn, thank you.
In the last twelve months, coal-fired electricity generation occasionally reached 3GW (in the icy winter, when they were fired up as a precaution against high loads). It is currently nil.
Combined Gas Cycle at the same time was between 4 and 21 GW.
nuclear has consistently been about 5GW
Wind generation has varied between 2GW and 12GW. i don't think there has been a day in the last 12 months when Coal has exceeded Wind generation.
UK total usage hit highs of 40GW and lows of 22GW.
Coal has been nowhere near 50%.
Ok John well it either you or the BBC that have their facts wrong.
I'm sorry to hear the BBC made such a careless mistake.
Do you think you might have misheard?
Some of the coal-fired stations have recently been running unprofitably, just in order to use up their stocks of coal that have negligible resale vale, before they are closed and demolished.
I hear this saves the expense of paying someone to take it away.
In the past, the furnaces were used to cremate the carcasses of cows infected with BSE, but hopefully it will not be necessary to do this with Covid19 victims.
Do you think you might have misheard?
Some of the coal-fired stations have recently been running unprofitably, just in order to use up their stocks of coal that have negligible resale vale, before they are closed and demolished.
I hear this saves the expense of paying someone to take it away.
In the past, the furnaces were used to cremate the carcasses of cows infected with BSE, but hopefully it will not be necessary to do this with Covid19 victims.
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D
Deleted member 18243
Another place I worked at in the same group. Door open so walked into the general managers office. He was on the phone which had a second headphone and his number one was listening in. After they had finished I asked what it was about. Being told how to cause trouble with his workforce.
I take it we've all seen the classic British comedy film "I'm Alright Jack" which is full of antics like this?
Peter Sellers as the shop steward with his Karl Marx books. It's one of the best films ever made and a great comedy. Today's loony left wouldn't view it as a comedy though!
More of an instructional video to them.
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