7 ms·

Yeah or maybe you could just be honest and not cheat. That's a good option too.

serf 4y ago
as someone who has ran a machine shop, that's lovely -- but rare. 95 percent of the shops I have known in the past or worked with currently would sell you their ability to do something while simultaneous upgrading their equipment to match the moment the PO is signed off on. If fab/machine/mfg shops didn't take on work that was beyond their capability then the smaller groups would starve to death immediately, being unable to use the larger contracts to facilitate upgrades. The trick is to find a shop operator that is aware of their rate of capability upgrade and turn-around time, that way the delivery dates aren't inaccurate even if the shop capabilities need to be 'tuned' (new machines bought).
- FpUser 4y ago
  I've been burned by overpromising machine shops in Canada. They have eventually delivered but with absolutely unacceptable delays. How does one year sound?
- grantsch 4y ago
  Yes I am aware that lying and cheating is very common behavior In those lines of work where it's especially common, ethical behavior can be a competitive advantage
ElevenLathe 4y ago
I'm not sure it really is. Dial your time machine back to Victorian London and I bet you would find lots of similarly-run factories. As another poster pointed out, the choices are essentially 1) be honest that you are kind of a bad factory, and can't really produce anything that people want or 2) pretend that you are a great factory, get some business, learn and iterate. Eventually you can honestly promise high quality, but you have to survive that far first.
- viraptor 4y ago
  > Dial your time machine back to Victorian London You may want to check with Ea-Nasir about his copper ingots... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complaint_tablet_to_Ea-nasir https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complaint_tablet_to_Ea-nasir
  - TheCoelacanth 4y ago
    I don't think it was intended to be the earliest example, just one that is more relatable to westerners.
- grantsch 4y ago
  Yes you are correct that lying and cheating does have a long history
voakbasda 4y ago
When your competition is willing to lie and cheat, honesty is a liability that will result in bankruptcy. Worse, this attitude is endemic in all business sectors where I have worked, and I would be shocked to find a sector where this is not true.
- grantsch 4y ago
  Yes that is 1 way to justify compromising your ethics

serf 4y ago

as someone who has ran a machine shop, that's lovely -- but rare. 95 percent of the shops I have known in the past or worked with currently would sell you their ability to do something while simultaneous upgrading their equipment to match the moment the PO is signed off on. If fab/machine/mfg shops didn't take on work that was beyond their capability then the smaller groups would starve to death immediately, being unable to use the larger contracts to facilitate upgrades. The trick is to find a shop operator that is aware of their rate of capability upgrade and turn-around time, that way the delivery dates aren't inaccurate even if the shop capabilities need to be 'tuned' (new machines bought).

FpUser 4y ago
I've been burned by overpromising machine shops in Canada. They have eventually delivered but with absolutely unacceptable delays. How does one year sound?
grantsch 4y ago
Yes I am aware that lying and cheating is very common behavior In those lines of work where it's especially common, ethical behavior can be a competitive advantage

ElevenLathe 4y ago

I'm not sure it really is. Dial your time machine back to Victorian London and I bet you would find lots of similarly-run factories. As another poster pointed out, the choices are essentially 1) be honest that you are kind of a bad factory, and can't really produce anything that people want or 2) pretend that you are a great factory, get some business, learn and iterate. Eventually you can honestly promise high quality, but you have to survive that far first.

viraptor 4y ago
> Dial your time machine back to Victorian London You may want to check with Ea-Nasir about his copper ingots... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complaint_tablet_to_Ea-nasir https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complaint_tablet_to_Ea-nasir
- TheCoelacanth 4y ago
  I don't think it was intended to be the earliest example, just one that is more relatable to westerners.
grantsch 4y ago
Yes you are correct that lying and cheating does have a long history

voakbasda 4y ago

When your competition is willing to lie and cheat, honesty is a liability that will result in bankruptcy. Worse, this attitude is endemic in all business sectors where I have worked, and I would be shocked to find a sector where this is not true.

grantsch 4y ago
Yes that is 1 way to justify compromising your ethics