RE: [Leica] outsourcing components

["Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter)" <peterk@lucent.com>]

Who are you and what have you done with Erwin?

You sir, are committing blasphemy here on the LUG....

> ----------
> From: 	Erwin Puts[SMTP:imxputs@knoware.nl]
> Reply To: 	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Sent: 	Sunday, August 01, 1999 12:18 PM
> To: 	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: 	[Leica] outsourcing components
> 
> Someone wrote at least in part that a company that does outsourcing 
> is per definition an assembler, not a manufacturer. This person has a 
> queer and completely outdated view of modern industrial manufacturing 
> and the workings of the market for specialized products.
> 
> Wish this person would look at a company report from BMW, 
> Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Porsche, Volvo, Saab, Nikon, Honda, Apple, 
> IBM, etc and try to find the description about the logistics and the 
> amount of buying in from outside companies. Most modern companies in 
> the western world do the three things that they know best: design a 
> product, find suppliers for many components and assemble the product 
> to their specification and design/production philosophy.
> If E. Leitz had understood the signs of the time you would be able to 
> buy E.Leitz Wetzlar products today. Leitz went down in my view 
> because they had committed themselves to a production quality that 
> was impossible to guarantee within economical means. Too much manual 
> adjustments to counter production defects. This is documented by a 
> British report.  The myth of superior production quality at Leitz is 
> easily blown apart by looking at the numerous adjustment screws, the 
> many subassemblies to make tolerance adjustments during assembly etc.
> It is a pity that nostalgia still  produces such a a strong filter to 
> reality that the past is viewed as heaven. A realistic assessment of 
> current performance and capabilities of any company  is the least one 
> should try.
> 
> Erwin
> 
>