Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

[cheesy]

4 months, 25 days.

I was in Beaufort for a couple of days this week. Always glad when I leave to come home. Tangled with the CEO and the new Prod Supervisor. Prod guy got the 'Come to Jesus' speech from me, which was basically me telling him I wasn't impressed and don't ever insist I attend another one of his useless and time wasting morning meetings. Or also known as the new pup raising the hackles of Geismars' Grouchy Old Phart.

The CEO thing was a bit more intense. One of the sales guys blew a gasket about how sick he is that we've become the laughingstock of the industry and many of his customers have become former customers that want nothing to do with him, or us, anymore. He sent a very nasty email to the CEO and several others. He pulled no punches and named names. The CEO fired back but complained more about the tone of the email than the substance. Because I'm the old phart and I've known the entire sales staff for almost 25 years, he asked my opinion. I read the email and told him that the guy wasn't wrong. I also reminded the CEO that I warned him this one guy had no filters and wouldn't hold back. The CEO's big mistake was replying by email and hitting Reply All. He should have had a one on one phone call with the guy. Then he asked what I would do. I told him that my 'Give A Fcuk Meter' was just about at zero, but my ass would be on a plane to meet with both him and the customer. Also, to stop listening to your buddy Al. He got a little pissed at that and I rattled off a laundry list of what Al has done for Al and hasn't done for the company since 2001. Got the deer in the headlight stare and walked out of his office.

Cut my trip short by a day and went home. Yesterdays flight was my 45th of the year and pushed my AA Platinum status until 2023.

[cheesy]

Back in Beaufort this week. Jason and my unfiltered sales buddy were there, too. CEO and Al were nowhere to be found. Jason and Keith were there to test the truck that had been returned twice. I was there to prep a machine for lease and possible sale.

The guys were guaranteed the truck would be ready to test on Tuesday. Then Wednesday. Then Thursday. It never happened.

The machine I was prepping had some damage that took a couple of days to fix but wasn't too bad. I had zero replacement parts for the damage, so it was cut and paste. Had I been able to do the repair in Elgin, it would have taken a few hours. There are no small welders for 'patch jobs' at Beaufort, just structural units. It took me almost two hours to locate, move, and set up a welder for a 30 second job.
I needed to replace the hydraulic filters but we had zero stock on those. I remembered that a different machine had used the same filters under a different part number and those were in stock. When I was asked why they weren't cross referenced, I replied that it wasn't my job to do yours.

After every days' fiasco, the three of us hit the bars pretty hard. Wednesday night was epic. We decide to do dinner in downtown Beaufort where we met up with Mike H and his 'Beaufort wife'. You don't want to know. I didn't.
Stopped at a little hole in the wall bar for a couple of drinks but stayed for a couple more. And a couple more. And a couple more. Left there about nine and learned that that is when all the kitchens close. So, found another place with live music. Every time I looked down, I had another cocktail in front of me. And I drank it. Keith decides everyone needs to have a Surfers On Acid shot. Jason hated Jager, so doesn't drink his. Old Phart drinks Jason's.
We leave at midnight. I remember getting into the cab and going to bed. I don't remember getting out of the cab or going to my room.
Next morning, I'm up at 7, late for me. Shower, dress, get breakfast, and go to the shop. The other three guys show up at 11 and look like hell. "Old Guys Rule".

125 days to go.

[cheesy]

Grrr. I had to do a last minute flight to Beaufort last Tuesday.


It's crap like this that want me to retire earlier. Someone installed a flange fitting on a pump without removing the plastic plug and sent bits of it through the entire hydraulic system. This was what was in a check valve. No wonder they have all kinds problems down there.

115 days to go.

[bogieboy]

Thats a special kind of stupid right there...

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by bogieboy

Thats a special kind of stupid right there...

Again and again and again. It's from the top down.

[cheesy]

Woo whoo! 99 days left for my time at this shitshow. And what a shitshow this week has been. Not for me, personally, I was busting my hump in Leadville, CO at a small tourist shortline and enjoying being far away from Beaufort. The alcohol at 10,000' helped, too.

After getting the machine running, that they stole at auction for $2200, they took me and my cohort for a hi rail truck ride on their line. It was pretty cool.

On a crappy access road to the tracks. That's hail, not snow.


At the crossing where we got on.



This is the part of my job I'll miss.

[cheesy]

So, the shit hit the proverbial fan yesterday and it's a big pile and a bigger fan.

We are being sued, big time, for breach of contract because of that damn truck that is a year late. There has been a very loud "Told ya so" from the Elgin staff, along with a "yer on yer own" and "we'll side with the plaintiff".

A very big shot from Europe, who I won't even cross, is being sent to Beaufort to clean up that mess, but I think it is too little, too late.

Yesterday was supposed to be Harolds' last day but he was asked to stay on, without a contract, for another year. He told Al no, it will be week to week at his discretion. Jason told Harold that he would hang on until the end of the year, but he is done and not setting foot in Beaufort again. I have 90 days, as of today, to go and I think Harold, and Jason, actually plan to follow me out the door.

Who knows, maybe Jean Luc will just pull the plug on this unholy experiment and cut me loose at the end of the week. It'll be a bit tough for a month or two but it wouldn't break my heart.

[cheesy]

83 days to go.

Had breakfast with Harold last Friday. He is now on a week to week basis. He told me that if it wasn't for the big shot coming from Italy next week, he'd be gone. He wants to be a fly on the wall and watch the carnage. I do, too, for that matter. Those of us that know Jean Luc is coming all figure he will have a stroke first when he sees that cluster and then when he recovers, fur will fly. In my opinion, though, it's too little too late.

I got a 'stick around' proposal from Harold that I wasn't too impressed with and I countered with two more. My first one was 7am to 11am daily, working from home to assist customers and CS at half pay and GNA picks up my insurance. If I was absolutely needed in the field, I had the following week off. Second proposal, I'd stick around, full time, for one more year with a $10K pay increase, return of all the benefits I lost in the restructuring, and get the new Fusion in SC as my company vehicle.

He countered with another and I kind of liked it. Consultant as needed and set my own fee and schedule. No questions asked if I fly 1st at last minute. GNA will cover all expenses. And I'd get to keep my current company vehicle. When I told Harold that my current company vehicle is an 11 year old Fusion with 187K on it, he kind of admitted that that part wasn't much of an incentive. He said he'd see what could be done with the vehicle

Of course, management in Europe has the final say and they haven't done much of anything to keep the older guys around that know the product. Their main thing is to cut costs and if they lose part of the brain trust, well, that's one less salary they have to pay.

[Sport Rider]

10k a year doesn't sound like much of an incentive to me. if setting your own fee schedule, it should be somewhere around $150 and hour, travel time included. let's see how badly they want to keep your expertise around.

[cheesy]

That's why I went with the 10K. They are hemorrhaging cash because of their screw ups. We'll see how bad they they want me.

None of the Elgin folks want to see me leave, none of the SC folks want me to stick around.

[cheesy]

Rumor has it that I will be made an offer this week to stick around another year. Rumor also has it that I may get all of what I was asking for because, to quote Harold, I have them by the balls and they know it.

[Emerikol]

https://media.giphy.com/media/2UvAUp...giphy.gif&ct=g

[Sport Rider]

u think you can survive another year mentally? :o

[Bruces]

Originally Posted by Sport Rider

u think you can survive another year mentally? :o

What about us ? Not sure I can stand another year of the incompetence at that place .

[cheesy]

It’s all going to depend on the package AND if the Axman from Europe can fix this mess. He isn’t even here yet and personnel changes are being implemented.

As to this cluster in Denver, I think that even if the machine passes all of its performance testing, it will be refused because of the bad taste the customer has gotten from us.