Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

[Darkrider]

This is why i enjoy being a contractor, No one really looking over my shoulder at any one time. Only times i really interact with the higher ups is the moment it counts...the moment i place my invoice in their hands and simply ask for payment on said invoice lol

[cheesy]

Just got back from Beaufort. Things are starting to come together, but there is still a ways to go. They've hired a pretty good group of people. It's the old managers that seem to be the problem. Trying convince someone who has only run a warehouse that they need to start thinking like a manufacturer is very slow to come to one of them.

The place is still laid out badly but getting better. With some luck, things should be running quite smoothly by the end of April, when the problem is supposed to retire.

The real issue that they are going to have left to deal with is the lack of infrastructure.

[Darkrider]

Was wondering how this was going earlier lol

[cheesy]

Yeah, things would go better if management would just stay in their caves and let me do my job. Main reason I was down there was to set up the calibration room and train people on the procedures. The room was supposed to be finished when I got there. It wasn't finished when I left. Fallback was to train people on assembly and repairs. I had so much interference from CS, Management, and Sales that I only managed three hours all week.
Most of that interference has to do with the above being clueless. In my old job, new hires in Sales, Engineering, CS, and QC were required to spend their first month on the factory floor, learning both the product and the system. Then, once a year, it was one week on the floor. There wasn't a lot of class attitude. Here, it's "Oh, no. That's beneath me." I'm going to try to work this system in with the new plant manager.

[cheesy]

I'm starting to like this working from home thing. Seems that I have something that I haven't had in twenty years and that's free time. I sure as heck don't have set hours.

I booked Monday through Thursday to work on a machine in St. Louis. I wrapped things up Wednesday afternoon, spent the night there, and boogied home early Thursday morning. I got back at ten. Other than working with the Sales guys and customers over the phone, I had nothing else to do, so Mrs.C and I did the registration stuff for the DeSoto and had lunch together. Did a few more phone calls and emails from my couch after we got home along with getting the insurance set on the DeSoto. Then took the car down to Inky Tim's new shop.

Today, I was supposed to run up to the Milwaukee area to look at a machine but that got postponed by the customer for two weeks but another thing came up near Chicago that's only going to take me about an hour. After that, phone calls and paperwork from my couch. This must be what it's like to be semi retired.

Next week, it's back in Beaufort for the week. The room is finished, so I hope to get that set up and get someone trained in calibration. Also have plans to set up a training course for the CS staff on deciphering our manuals. Not too many things are more aggravating than having your head in a machine and getting a call from CS because they can't find a part number and they need it right away.

Down to three more years.

[BlackBike]

I hear ya. People don't realize there is a lot of preparation in getting a job done other than just turning a wrench (parts,communication,close out , phone calls emaills,etc.)

[cheesy]

Back from Beaufort again and have to return there at Oh Dark Thirty on Monday.

They've hired a whole new bunch o' people since I was there a few weeks ago. Not seeing a lot of problems with this group, either. The more good people getting hired, the more obvious it is becoming that the biggest problems are at the top.

I was involved in a meeting with the new plant manager, his assistant, old weird Harold, and Marlene. I did an early face palm when Marlene stated that those of us from Elgin were 'Simple Folk' and saw no need for all the control changes that are forthcoming. Cringed was more like it and I didn't hold back when I let go with where all our bottlenecks were and why. The plant manager, his assistant, and Harold just sat there with grins while I was unloading. Marlene said she'd never heard any of this before and I told her it was because she either doesn't listen, or refuses to listen, to the people who actually do the job. The plant manager interjected that he'd heard the same from the new hires and seen her in action. Also told her it was to stop, now. Well, Marlene's back arched and she was going into full bitch mode when the plant manager let loose on her. Pretty much let her know where her new rank was and it isn't much anymore.

Later in the week, she was shut down by the international HR manager in another meeting. She was more or less told to do her job and to quit worrying about what others were doing because it is not now, nor ever was, any of her concern. I was also in that meeting, but I don't know why as I have nothing to do with HR. Marlene was mostly silent for the rest of the week.

When I wasn't in meetings or dealing with phone calls, I've been training a new service guy. Sharp and eager to learn. The fact that he has experience wrenching on railroad equipment is a plus. Bit of a patronage hire as his Dad is a big shot at a major transit, but I've worked with his Dad in the past and he isn't afraid to get in and help.

One last thing. This thread has run since about March. How come no one has once mentioned Duke's BBQ in Beaufort? C'mon, guys!

[ben2go]

It sounds like things are looking up and the curves are straightening out.

I don't do much travel through buffort (lol) so I couldn't recommend and Q places.

[cheesy]

Let's just say Duke's was a pleasant surprise. It's a buffet, which I haven't been a fan of since the onset of Golden Corral, Old Country Buffet, and hotel breakfasts, but Duke's is more the old style type. I made one pass for lunch, which was a fried chicken breast and some spuds, and two passes for dessert. I haven't had banana pudding with Nilla wafers since I was a kid.

I'd taken the new guy and a French co-worker along. The new guy is a body builder and very conscientious about what eats. After his third plate of deep fried chicken livers, I asked if his diet had been shot to hell. He nodded and kept eating. Said he can't get them in P'burgh.

French guy complained earlier that the portions in American restaurants are too large but he made three trips the back to the buffet. Said he was being polite by trying everything.

That evening it was salad and waters for each of us.

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Let's just say Duke's was a pleasant surprise. It's a buffet, which I haven't been a fan of since the onset of Golden Corral, Old Country Buffet, and hotel breakfasts, but Duke's is more the old style type. I made one pass for lunch, which was a fried chicken breast and some spuds, and two passes for dessert. I haven't had banana pudding with Nilla wafers since I was a kid.

I'd taken the new guy and a French co-worker along. The new guy is a body builder and very conscientious about what eats. After his third plate of deep fried chicken livers, I asked if his diet had been shot to hell. He nodded and kept eating. Said he can't get them in P'burgh.

French guy complained earlier that the portions in American restaurants are too large but he made three trips the back to the buffet. Said he was being polite by trying everything.

That evening it was salad and waters for each of us.

Every time I eat at a buffet, I get really bad sick at my stomach with the green apple $h!t$. Salads do me the same way. I don't think they wash the veggies and lettus good enough.

[BlackBike]

Always suspicious of buffets. You know, the mixing of the stuff thats been around the block with the new stuff.

[cheesy]

Like I said, not a big fan of buffets myself, but this place was passable.

Back here for the last time in 2017. Another problem showed with locating here. USMC graduations take all the hotel rooms in Beaufort. So I'm 25 miles away in Bluffton. Which, in itself, isn't bad. Hotels are cheaper than our corporate rate in Beaufort, with more and better places to eat.

I have a crane to get done by Friday. It was 90% finished when it got here, so not much to do. Harold asked if it was doable. I told him that if he and CS quit giving me fires to put out, it would be done by Thursday.

[Sport Rider]

Originally Posted by cheesy

..... I haven't had banana pudding with Nilla wafers since I was a kid.
.......

Welcome to the south!

[cheesy]

Whelp, three more work days and then I'm on vacation for the rest of the year. Phone will be 'OFF'.

Got the crane done with a half day to spare. My old managers were having cows that it wouldn't get done in time because they agreed to a 12/15 completion date or the deal would fall through. New managers were, "You agreed to what? What the f*** is wrong with you?" New managers came and asked me if that happened often. Grinned and told them that it was a common practice to agree with the customer on a delivery date, then ask me if it was doable. Apparently, the practice stops as of Dec. 31.

There was a major eff-up last week that I'm still laughing about because I was told that my input wasn't needed. So I kept my mouth shut. The guys working on the project are from our plant in Italy and are very anal about testing every step of the assembly. They did everything right..., until it came to paint. My input was why was an airless sprayer, used primarily for buildings and heavy coatings, being used to apply paint to very large and intricate vehicle chassis. I'll add that I had 23 years experience in the coatings application industry before I came to MTM. Anyway, they sprayed the chassis Friday after I left for Charleston and stayed late to finish it. (I stayed late at two airports and didn't get home until 3am Saturday morning.) On Monday morning, the paint was still tacky. Still tacky, because some genius forgot to add the hardener to the paint. The chassis now needs to be completely dismantled, stripped to bare metal, repainted and reassembled. Put the project back by at least a month.

Will be back on Jan. 2nd for inventory. Already have made it known that I am only there for technical assistance, not to count parts.

I am so glad that 2017 is grinding to a halt, though 2018 appears that it will be quite interesting.

[cheesy]

Interesting end of the year.

Surprisingly, the building in Elgin has been sold with a January 1st vacate date. Any and all property left in the building becomes the property of the new owners. Glad management waited until December 28th to tell me. Myself, I'd have been out a few tools. MTM would have been out a high mileage pickup with several thousand dollars worth of tools in the bed, plus the equipment that I was still using in my office.

The shit storm that followed was epic. The GM, who I refuse to address as the company president any longer, told me that I had no business still being in the building. I had to remind him that it was he who told me I was to be based there UNTIL it was sold and that I'd be given two weeks notice when I'd need to get out, not four days. Anyway, he chose to hang up on me which resulted in me sending a nasty gram to the international CEO about the incident. Whether she acts on it or not, I really don't care anymore.

Next, I needed to get a storage place quickly. I had to play twenty questions with Harold as to why. Things got heated between us on that front because it had been agreed upon, back in March, that I would get a storage space when the building sold. He now didn't want to honor it. When I let him know then, that the truck was going to stay with the building and I would be done as of January 1st, he squirmed. I told him he needed to speak with Jason before things went any farther. Jason let him know if I went now, he was gone, too. Harold blinked and I got my storage space. And I got it for less than I'd been quoted. I'm not telling Harold that. I'm going to let him squirm a little while longer.

Mrs. C and I got things moved out and into the storage unit yesterday. I had hoped to squeeze the shop truck into the storage unit but there wasn't enough room between the fence and unit to be able to jockey the truck in there. So, it's back in my driveway and in my way.

The tea leaves are telling me that 2018 will be another weird year. I'm thinking that 2018 may be the last year for most of the Elgin staff, myself included. Marlene is retiring in April. Heidi has already said she's done in April. Harold, Steve, and I will probably be forced to retire, Jason will be the new Harold, and Al will be thrown under the bus by France.

And I could be 100% wrong about it.