Yep. You can tell in the product when KTMs went from being rider's bikes built by experienced engineers (990 LC8s) who took it as read that the rider would know how to ride the thing and turn a spanner if necessary and they just left you to get on with it, to two-wheeled fashion accessories designed by accountants and loaded with unnecessary and unreliable tech (the first 1290 Advs) that tried to ride the thing for you.
That's all very well, but developing new models requires a lot of work. Designing, testing, styling, specifying and productionising every part is a huge task. Electronics too. And arranging for sub-contractors to make and supply the right parts is another big job. There have to be enough staff to get all this done, as otherwise there won't be new models, or they will be full of unresolved problems. Actually bolting the bits together on the production lines is the simple part, especially if it is mainly done by robots.
Yeah totally agree, the article I read mentioned too many middle management employees, so they plan on reducing them, many companies fall into that trap. I’ve worked for companies that needed to cut back, so made some of the workforce redundant, then ended up with loads of mangers managing less people. It’s amazing that companies don’t realise the effect of that before they do it. Non productive mangers can be a big financial drain. I’ve worked with quite a few that are bloody useless and a total waste of money
Between us, i'm sure we could write a good book. I remember working for a small car company that started out with great hope. You might have a "good" company owner, but he's only going to be as good as his "right-hand man" and this was true here. He (they) decided to take on a large proportion of the recently sacked Bedford truck design division. The yet-to-be-finished product was aimed at the Supercar market, so i don't really need to add more here about this decision. One of them was immediately promoted to Design Team manager and it just went from bad to worse in the next 12 months. Draughtsmen disappeared from their boards to become "managers" within weeks, wearing out their shoes at a faster rate but achieving precious little. "Too many Chiefs - not enough Indians" comes to mind. The whole operation moved to Harlow where they festered for a few months before totally disappearing. A great shame, could have been great. P.S. - the wheels below look far better than the ones that i drew - drew with my hands tied (npi but fits a treat).
Jobs for the boys springs to mind. I’ve seen it countless times where “mates” have been promoted to positions they really are not qualified for or capable of doing. It actually happened to me, I applied for a manger role, I had loads of experience and a very good track record. But the position was given to the recruiting managers mate. He was bloody useless. Everyone could see what would happen, the senior manager ended up getting moved sideways because he made such a pigs ear of managing the department, and his mates left.
in the interests of avoiding legal action (although i don't think he'd mind) you've made me think of an often-used quote that i know was uttered by a certain person while working at Project Four Racing in the mid-seventies. This outfit was next door to a company run by a Father and Son team, who i knew/know well. "it's not what you know, it's who you know".
Yes indeed but that works both ways doesn’t it, good and bad. I would not want to be an employer or manager nowadays, employees have too many rights, you can end up with some right useless time wasters, but it’s difficult to get rid. Good hard workers don’t really need the extra protection. Like the new landlord rules it hampers the genuine decent landlords who end up stuck with an awful tenant who stops paying and trashes the place. Seems to me there are more and more rules around everything to protect the guilty and not the victims. And don’t get me started on DEI and all that bullshit
Exactly this - not saying it's a good thing, never should have been, but sounds as though R.D. might have been happy to take advantage of "it" - certainly worked for "Bernie's" mates without a shadow of a doubt.
