Too much of a good thing

Modern Machine Shop, Oct, 1990 by Thomas L. Beard

Too Much Of A Good Thing

The well being of many job shops hinges on the defense industry. Some sell directly to the government, others serve prime contractors or their suppliers. But they all live day-to-day with priorities and practices set in Washington.

Thank's largely to Saddam Hussein, the business isn't dwindling nearly as much as everyone thought only a few months ago. It depends on one's perspective as to how "good" our rekindled appetite for swords will be. But one definite down side is that some time-honored, and horribly inefficient, practices will continue, and maybe even grow. Are we talking death and destruction here? Worse. We're talking procedures and paperwork.

It's always been bad--the inspections, the certifications, the documentation--just to get in the game. But now there is a whole raft of new tests to pass, mostly to do with quality. It was bad enough when you just had to satisfy Uncle Sam, now you have to prove you do everything just like your customer.

I visited a shop the other day that had been audited by five different defense contractors, and every one had a different set of procedures the shop was supposed to follow. Now their shop manual looks like the New York City phone book.

One of the best reasons to use a supplier is that they can do things you can't. But to get the real benefit from that relationship, you have to trust in their expertise. Making all suppliers produce in an identical manner negates the unique value that each shop can deliver.

Now, you can't blame anyone for expecting a supplier to deliver high quality parts on time. It's also reasonable to insist that the supplier be able to prove he can do it. But expecting a job shop to emulate a prime contractor's own internal controls (plus add a few more they don't even ask of themselves), down to the very last detail, is a giant waste of time and resources. It's just the sort of approach that produces $600 hammers that are no better than the ones at Sears.

Looking for ways to prevent bad parts is the right approach, even if it requires looking inside a supplier's shop. But no company should assume that they alone have an infallible vision of ohow it can be done.

THOMAS L. BEARD, Associate Editor