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rsterne · Moderator

You don't have to be an engineer to appreciate this story.

A toothpaste factory had a problem. They sometimes shipped empty boxes without the tube inside. This challenged their perceived quality with the buyers and distributors. Understanding how important the relationship with them was, the CEO of the company assembled his top people. They decided to hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem. The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP, and third-parties selected. Six months (and $8 million) later they had a fantastic solution - on time, on budget, and high quality. Everyone in the project was pleased.

They solved the problem by using a high-tech precision scale that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a toothpaste box weighed less than it should. The line would stop, someone would walk over, remove the defective box, and then press another button to re-start the line. As a result of the new package monitoring process, no empty boxes were being shipped out of the factory.

With no more customer complaints, the CEO felt the $8 million was well spent. He then reviewed the line statistics report and discovered the number of empty boxes picked up by the scale in the first week was consistent with projections, however, the next three weeks were zero! The estimated rate should have been at least a dozen boxes a day. He had the engineers check the equipment, they verified the report as accurate. Puzzled, the CEO traveled down to the factory, viewed the part of the line where the precision scale was installed, and observed just ahead of the new $8 million dollar solution sat a $20 desk fan blowing the empty boxes off the belt and into a bin. He asked the line supervisor what that was about.

"Oh, that," the supervisor replied, "Bert, the kid from maintenance, put it there because he was tired of walking over every time the bell rang."

Bob

yourdaddyjoe · Supporting Member

Alstone · Moderator & Site Supporter

Sounds about right, don't mess with the engineering dept. Mr. Green

Al

Slavia · Moderator

I worked in a place where they had a big drum filter (8' Dia. X 10' L.). It rotated against a knife that peeled the crud off, with a stepper motor to increment the knife in against the drum. Except the stepper motor didn't have enough gumption to dig in. They worked for months on that thing - new motor, lube, different chemical balance on the crud - all to no avail. I wound a rope around the shaft and hung a bucket with rocks to assist the motor, and it worked perfectly. But - the bosses didn't like the way it "looked," so we had to continue to fight the stupid thing.

rsterne · Moderator

and I'm betting you're not an "engineer".... Rolling Eyes

Bob

Slavia · Moderator

No, but my son is in school on a Briggs engineering scholarship (the Briggs and Stratton guy). Does that count?