I read this a few nights ago and it has bugged me ever since. This was
taken from "Ken Purdry's Book of Automobiles" in a chapter titled
"The German's are coming". This was written in 1970.
..... To come to a big German production line direct from a
major British, French, or Italian factory is to see a fairly
startling change. The difference in cleanliness, efficiency
both mechanical and human and, most of all, intensity of
effort, is striking. When I remarked on the generally sloppy
and lackadaisical image being projected by the workers on the
final assembly line of a first-rank British car, an official
conceded the point and said there was nothing that could be
done about it. "We try to make up for it," he said, "by very
stiff inspection, and I think we do, but of course that's
time-consuming and expensive. If we go on about it too much,
we'll have a strike. Remember, we deal with thirteen separate
unions."
Then, a little later in the same chapter.....
....Intensive research is another weapon in the German
armorarium. British, French, and Italian research tends to
be empirical. If something new works fairly well, try making
it thicher, thinner, lighter, or slightly differently cast.
The German is a science lover. The archetypal German engineer
won't believe today is Tuesday unless you show him the
calendar; after he has convinced himself that the calendar
isn't, perchance, a forgery, he is inclined to check it out
to be sure it's Gregorian and not Mayan or whatever. He
sleeps with his slide rule. .......
This line of thought continues on and on about how great German
engineering is and how they build such great cars.
I think what bugs me is that I'm not sure if this really *should* bug me.
Sure, questionable quality of our beloved British cars is something that
most of us on this list think about from time to time. But then again
maybe a relaxed "lackadaisical" production line might mean *better* built
cars. Furthermore, what's wrong with "empirical" research? Find what
works and make it better. That's just good common sense.
This is where any of you that have an interest in the above can help me
out. Were there some fundamental flaws in the way the British built our
cars or did the British and the Germans just use two differant means to
achive the same ends, the production of good automobiles?
The thought provoking thought for the day........
Kirk kirkb@hpgrla.hp.com Greeley, Colorado
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