FORD is to close down its Australian car-making operations until next Wednesday

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

You dont get it!! These day downs have just replaced ones that where already planned & now cancelled.. So, the workers too have lost NOTHING!!!

It is not a hard to understand, why are people struggling with this??


The bigger issue is why does Ford need so many down days.. This is the real problem!!

By the way you write I'm guessing that you work there, or know someone who does.

It's hard to understand as a lot of people, including me, have not heard of 'down days'. Please inform us all of what they are and why they are needed.

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

The issue I have with treating floor staff like crap is that if you demoralise them, they end up with IDGAF attitude towards everything, and pretty much just turn up for the pay check. If you treat them well, it might cost you a few BBQs and some meetings telling everyone you appreciate what they do, but they tend to have a better attitude towards work and you end up with a better product.

that is true in theory, but even when you give workers bbq's, monthly meetings, business cards and newsletters, they still have an idgaf attitude

most workers don't care about their work, just like some managements don't care about their workers

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

By the way you write I'm guessing that you work there, or know someone who does.

It's hard to understand as a lot of people, including me, have not heard of 'down days'. Please inform us all of what they are and why they are needed.

When Ford had a huge stockpile of Falcons at the end of 2010 and the mid of 2011, Broadmeadows was on three day weeks
but went to 5 day weeks with introduction of Territory and a down balcance to 209/day but then slipped back to a
4-day weeks with flagging Falcon sales.

Down days and Saturday overtime day are both great ways to adjust production without having to do re-balancing
of the production line which involves re training and re-timing assemby of all components...

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Here's an idea. Ford assumes all of CMI's debt and employee responsibilities, in exchange for all of CMI's tooling, materials and assets (apart from rented assets like the factory)......

That's stupid, just buy the stuff you WANT off the administrator (stock and tooling) and let them sort out all the debt, liabilities and shut down the company.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

that is true in theory, but even when you give workers bbq's, monthly meetings, business cards and newsletters, they still have an idgaf attitude

most workers don't care about their work, just like some managements don't care about their workers

It depends how "engaged" employees are!!

The company I work for (it is a great place to work for) spends allot of money & time getting & improving employee "engagement" levels. It is done by a 3rd party company, with all employees filling out an online survey of about 100 questions (from memory) about all things relating to the company. In the end the company gets a very good snap shot or employee engagement. What areas are working well & what areas need improving. Our management team then genially tries to fix or improve problem areas. When companies get it right (thankfully I'm employed in one), everything just works better & people do give a F.. Success breads success & happy employees bread success!!

Sounds like Ford is very very far away from this point, which is sad. Just image what Ford Australia could do with a better engaged work force!!

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Success breads success & happy employees bread success!!

You work for a Bakery. Right?

(sorry, I couldn't resist it)

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

You work for a Bakery. Right?

(sorry, I couldn't resist it)

Hahahaha, no bakery.. I did of course mean breed. English wasn't my best subject at school!!!

[Cam]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

That's stupid, just buy the stuff you WANT off the administrator (stock and tooling) and let them sort out all the debt, liabilities and shut down the company.

Aren't FoA still keeping ACL afloat after they went into administration 3(?) years ago? Pretty sure Ford will (or have?) end up buying ACL..

[JG34JA]

Hey thanks to all who explained how JIT helps a business to me. And to the example of offsourcing a part of a business for negligible cost benefit with inferior quality being the result (Big Damo's), I sympathise.

I have a question: how does JIT work in an environment when that which was considered reliable, becomes less so? Are there contingencies for this?

The reason I ask is considering the effects in the home of JIT, of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and nuclear disaster. It should be obvious that the entire supply chain was disrupted (and would have been if all production was in-house anyway, I admit.) If certain suppliers are located in devastated regions, does this mean the entire manufacturing complex gets taken down?

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

The issue I have with treating floor staff like crap is that if you demoralise them, they end up with IDGAF attitude towards everything, and pretty much just turn up for the pay check. If you treat them well, it might cost you a few BBQs and some meetings telling everyone you appreciate what they do, but they tend to have a better attitude towards work and you end up with a better product.

We used to be well treated and were always kept informed of what was happening around the place. We're just mushrooms now. The only way be found out info about the CMI situation was to listen to the radio or watch the news on TV. They only told us what was happening an hour or so before the end of shift on Thursday that we wouldn't need to come back till Wednesday. Poor communication.

Originally Posted by Cam

Aren't FoA still keeping ACL afloat after they went into administration 3(?) years ago? Pretty sure Ford will (or have?) end up buying ACL..

They had to give a few million to ACL to keep them afloat, but they didn't or aren't buying into them.