Pudding and Chopsticks

Well, maybe not abandoned. More like went under and there hasn’t been many people there, if any.

I went there to check machines, or really, because I was bored and wanted photos of a Chinese factory to creep everyone out.

Anyway, here they are.

And a fire on the way back.

And a food court being set up.

So here we are making samples of widgets to give to potential customers. The last two times we made some widgets as samples the manager that was in charge of the process was at the doctor or something. Which made for some really hard times. Today is another day for making these beloved widget to give to a new client. Guess what happens. Yeah that’s right, homeboy in charge isn’t here again.

Is this just a cowinkidink or rather a scheme that he cooked up for some reason or another. He isn’t too happy with the factory manager right now. So is this his plan to do a crappy job, not show up, and hope the widgets come out like crap, at late, etc so that we lose potential business. Maybe.

It wouldn’t be the most outlandish thing to happen here.

Oh I forgot to mention that when we make these widgets we make more than one. So if we need 11 total we make 22 just to make sure that we make the best possibly ones. If one gets damaged and or something happens then we have a back up.

They only made enough components to complete 11.

Nuff said.

Tales from the manufacturing floor so to speak. Well today I heard something interesting that a buddy of mine had happen. He had told the Engineering dept/one dude, that he needed to revise some drawings for a widget. This widget was costing too much to make and needed to have a couple things removed. Now, he told this engineering guy to take out four holes from the center of the hole pattern. There are 16 holes total in two places. 8 on each side. So he told the guy to take two from each side, from the inside of the widget. So the middle four, two from each side, where removed.

He checked the drawings today and low and behold, the outside four where gone. Two from each side. The exact opposite of what was instructed.

People, this is a true story.

At least they didn’t start manufacturing with the new CAD drawing and was at least caught before they wasted a bunch of widget material and thousands of dollars. Some revisions and problems aren’t so lucky.

Ok, let me first say that I am angry. I’m a honest guy. I try to make an honest living. I get pissed when I found out that someone who is less intelligent, doesn’t work hard, starts scamming something and thus gets a house, car, and  a better life than me, the hard working guy.

The system. You want to know what China is like this is what it is like. Here is an example of something that is happening right now somewhere. It’s all true, happens everyday, and everywhere.

Ok so when factories buy things from outside the country, the product has to go through customs. Happens everywhere. It’s normal. Most factories have a girl that handles this. It’s menial work, doesn’t really require a boss to perform.

Lets say that you bought material you need to manufacture you widgets with from America. You buy it and ship it to China. Now, this girl or employee has 1 month from ship date (something like that) to submit the proper paper work to China customs so that the material enters the country and gets shipped to the factory. Everyone is happy. Yah..

There are two ways to do everything in China. The proper legit way, and the throw money at it way. The throw money at it way is guaranteed to work. The proper way can be denied. This works for customs as well. Here is what is happening at a specific factory.

Factory orders product. Supplier ships it. Girl is supposed to submit paper work within a month. One effing month. She doesn’t. Customs holds material. Girl at factory talks to girl at customs. Girl at customs says, well, for X amount I can release it. Girl at factory says ok, doubles the amount, and tells factory boss that its going to be 2X for customs to release material. Boss says ok because he knows that there will be no problem afterward. Legit way possibly denied, shady way always works. So boss doesn’t care. Girl takes 2X and gives girl X thus she makes X money extra. Buys a house, a car, etc.

So. Here is the way things work here. People create problems so that there are problems to solve. Problems sometimes cost money and they just add a cut. The factory knows. I mean really, lets not be naive. They know, but they don’t want to deal with the problem. They throw money at it and if girl makes a few more bucks, then hey so be it.

It bothers me because of this. I work hard. If you pay me for a design, consultation, etc, I give you what you pay for. I work.

It’s like seeing two girls doing a similar job but one works hard and one extorts people and makes twice as much. Don’t you think that the girl who works hard would be angry when she found out the other girl doesn’t work hard but has a house, car, child. Can afford everything she wants. While the girl that works hard can’t afford anything even though she works hard.

Yeah point given.

The create problem thing relates to everyday factory life.

Haha. I just had a problem come up.. Haha. I can’t believe it. Ok. so I just looked at a photo of a widget. A photo that a customer sent. It has a major problem. A problem that no one here has ever seen before. Ok. so this problem is so obvious I don’t understand how the thirty people that touched and made this widget didn’t see it.

Or did they? They get paid whether they make widgets or not. Do they sabotage a sample to not get new customers so that they don’t have to work more? Do they blame it on something so that the boss has to throw money at it. O, well, we need this machine to fix this problem. This machine we have to buy from my friend who will give me a cut after you buy it from him.

Awesome.

I’m just on a rant right now. I suppose I should go to lunch and ponder ways to extort, bribe, and sabotage money out of people. My Audi RS6 isn’t going to buy itself you know.

Ok so here a story about quality here in China.

Factory A gets contacted to make a new product that they have never made, but basically it’s just a small version of what they have been making for years. Their quality is not good. They have been getting better but it’s still not even close to American quality or the top-level factories making the same product. They have fixed certain issues with tolerances and materials. Improving everyday.

New client sends a sample from another factory, factory B. This factory is worse than factory A. So Factory A sees the sample product and now gets it in their head that actually they are a really good manufacturer because they are better than factory B. But what they don’t realize is that they both suck and factory B just sucks more. The sample contains the same issues that factory A has been fixing. Now factory A starts to question why they have been fixing these issues, why they have been working harder, and striving to do better, when factory B doesn’t have to. They also start to think that they are the best manufacturer ever because their product is superior to factory B.

This all leads to a feeling of content and laziness. The quality starts to go down hill because they think that they have finally made it and don’t have to fix any more issues because there are people who are worse off then they are. They don’t feel the need to innovate and now buckle in for a period of doing nothing and coasting along. Quality goes back down, eventually is just as bad or worse as factory B and the cycle starts again. Factory B becomes A and A becomes B.

The above happens too with product samples from the best factories. Products that are the best come into a factory and get torn apart. Why do we have to fix this issue and spend so much time on it if the best company in the world sells products that have the same problems or worse. Well, think of it like this. Ford gets an Audi to check out, they buy it and bring it into their factory. Ford’s engineers take it apart. They start to question why they have been putting so much time into specific aspects of design or manufacturing. Why do we have to make the car quieter inside? The boss (Ford) wants a db level of 70 but the Audi has a measurement of 80. Audi is more expensive than Ford, and supposed to be a better car. Why then are their cars louder and more specifically why do I have to work harder to achieve 70 when the Audi is 80. That’s the thinking.

What the factories and factory workers haven’t the slightest clue about is that, better product attracts better clients, attracts more clients, and more money. The top-level companies can sell defect products or slightly sub par products because they are the leader. They can get away with it. But when you are the underdog. You have to work twice as hard to climb the ladder and know one in China understands that. If they do, then they are the top-level companies. Because that’s what it takes.

I’ve read a lot of news lately about China trying to innovate. It’s going to be really hard. Really hard. The above problem compiled with a thousand others that are culturally specific are going to hinder them. Don’t misunderstand me, America is not the best, China is not the best. But one can hardly argue about the difference in education and it’s relationship with innovation and technology.

But one of the biggest problems is employee attitudes here. Boss in America, make it 70, employee, yes sir. You pay me I work. Boss in China, make it 70, employee, can’t do it, too hard, why, you don’t pay me enough, can’t be done, etc etc etc, argue, argue, yell, yell, dinner drinking, ok I’ll make it 70.

Awesome.

Some of you may be wondering why I don’t respond to f book or what not. Well folks let me direct you to a blog that I read all the time.

http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-tech/the-great-firewall-longer-higher-meaner/

Today I tired t access fring on my phone. It is  chat program that lets me use my cell phone over wifi with skype. Well for some reason it didn’t work. Guess what, I suppose it’s blocked. Go fig. On a lighter note I talked to my mommy. She assures me everything will be ok. Ah moms are the best.

Went to a factory today. Looks like a factory in the states but with Chinese people. Who knew.

Randoms from the last couple of days.

Car fire on the way back from HK. No fire truck to be seen. That’s how they roll here in the PRC.. Or rather burn..

Fire + Food = Man. Also what makes a man is 3 bottles of hot sake.. Just saying..

Abandoned asphalt plant. I got some ideas for this place. 4×5 camera, film and a darkroom would be a dream come true.

A fashion shoot, models, crafty and the whole shabam also come to mind..