Why parts go on back order sometimes.

[paulg]

Oh vey...
So I am sitting here and reminiscing about my years in the electronics workplace. All of a sudden a part number comes to mind from one of my previous employers (a TV manufacturer). This was a part that I made available, and it has a unique part number that I came up with.
So, just for amusement I type it into Google. A list of parts comes up and “my” part number is among them. It says “ PART # NNNN-1234FUNN - Widget. HOLD PER PAUL G”
OMG. I left the company six years ago. Should I call them and say “HEY! This is Paul G. Will you PLEEEEEEASE take that part off of hold already????” LOL.

In another case, and another company - I noticed that a B+ regulator transistor was failing a little bit, so I asked Janice in parts to order 9 extra for the shop. Well, she accidentally typed in 900. Within weeks I was getting sacks of transistors and calls from other subsidiaries asking why in the world I needed so many transistors.

And yet another case, here in Illinois. I am on my way to work. Traffic has come to a stop. I turn on the radio. I hear a truck has overturned on I55 (Stevenson expressway) and that clean-up was underway to clear the expressway of a “ lot of picture tubes”. I knew at that instant that my workday was going to be extra special.

And lastly we had a critical part - a maintenance type part that had high usage. Pushing hard to get more parts in stock...
Monday morning meeting! What’s your “plan 2” to get the part Paul?
Why?
Well, that factory burned down last night.
Oh.
Pour me more coffee.....

Do you have tales to tell?

 

[thomasortega]

Well...

At work I always think of the worst case scenario and never put all the eggs in the same basket.

Corona Virus

China literally stopped with people quarantined at home, companies stopped.... (including our factory)

If the situation continues longer, we'll run our of 2 models that are made in China.

Luckily our strategy includes partners in Brazil, Argentina, England and Greece.

many years ago, Fire at Electrolux in Curitiba, Brazil.

Think of FIFTY THOUSAND refrigerators, freezers, chest freezers and minibars (43 different models) all stacked in our warehouse just waiting to be shipped to retailers in 9 different countries (including USA)

The packaging at that time used the first generation of CFC-free cushions (we were phasing out styrofoam) and the insulation on all those appliances used the same material. The problem is, it was HIGHLY flammable.

The inferno was so absurdly hot that cars in the parking lot melted. The firefirghters could no nothing but stop and watch it burn while trying to keep surrounding buildings safe (which didn't work very well because the production building 1 and executive building (where I worked) was also affected.

3 days later I could go back to my office. I had a betta fish on my desk, miraculously it was alive and in the aquarium (a tiny bowl). The rest of the office was literally black. Fire didn't reach it but the smoke was enough to cause damages.

Until today I'm waiting for electrolux to pay for two Philippe Starck chairs that I paid a fortune and were destroyed by rusty sprinkler water.

The aftermath was a total chaos. We literally had to put desks in the middle of the parking lot to continue working while the buildings were demolished and rebuilt. We even had part of the production working; The good thing was, as we were working outside, we decided to grab some barbecue grills that were damaged by the fire (we would have to destroy them anyway because of course we can't sell a product that wasn't 100% perfect and we worked having barbecue all day long, every day.

It took 8 months to fulfill all the orders that were lost in the fire. We transferred some of the production to other plants (5 plants in Curitiba, 2 in São Carlos plus Augusta here in the USA and Mexico.) and of course, Electrolux, Frigidaire, White-Westinghouse Zanussi and AEG products were out of stock worldwide.

 

[paulg]

Oh my lord....

You really had a horrific spell with that Electrolux accident. I am sure every day through your rebuilding was crazier than the last. However using salvaged grills to make your barbecue in the parking lot certainly made the days more tolerable if not tastier.
We would call those crazy days “all hands on deck” days. It didn’t matter what product was your specialty, EVERYONE drops everything to get past some crisis.
Your plant fire was horrific.
More memories are coming back...
In yet another company I went to the front office to get a cup of coffee. (I drink a lot of coffee at work). I am by the front door and one fella runs out the door, then a second, then ten. I literally stand there with my cup of coffee and nobody is saying anything to me - they are just running out the door.
With my cup of coffee in hand I stop one fella. “So what is going on? “ I say.
“Joe just ran a forklift into the gas main ! “
Thanks!
And I walked out the door with my cup of coffee. No sweat.