Automakers feel worsening effects of Japan crisis

Looks like Indiana is starting to feel the pinch of the auto parts delays in Japan as a result of the crisis.

chestertontribune.com...

well, why don't the pass along the blueprints to these parts to some of our machine shops, and well, at least production can keep humming along till they can get their plants in japan up and running???

reply to post by dawnstar


dawnstar you make a valid point. as existing inventories of repair & maintenance parts dwindle on the shelves of the USA subsidiaries of companies headquartered in Japan the negative aspects of the broken supply chain will become apparent.

for years i worked at the USA headquarters of a major medical x ray film company based in Japan. they had an extensive line of medical equipment ranging from small, low-volume automatic x ray film processing machines used in veterinary clinics and Doc-in-a box joints right on up to high volume machines with sophisticated film auto-loading equipment that replaced people working in dark rooms. they also sold a wide range of lazer equipment and peripheral accessories.

even when business ran well we were usually back-ordered on a few key parts that would render a machine useless if they were to fail. if people knew how often we had to 'borrow' parts from brand-new finished, sealed units in the main warehouse to fulfill priority orders they would have thought twice about buying that brand.

knowing how quick American businesses are to go the legal route i'm confident a lot of end-users of all sorts of products from Japan are going to sue for the inconvenience that will come their way. while our friends in Japan work together both in neighborhoods and in business to be strong and progress, the American way seems to be to hinder and impede other USA businesses with lawsuits and legal actions.

USA automakers can go burn in hell for all i care. it takes an exceptional amount of stupidity by a lot of well educated, experienced people to run successful companies right into the ground. i bought a new Ford EXP in 1984. lifted the hood, all the decals were in French because the bulk of the vehicle was made in Canada. i bought a Ford Ranger pick-up in 1994. lifted the hood, the engine was made in Japan by Mazda. USA automakers don't give a damn about keeping Americans employed. they just want us to shut up and keeping making those monthly payments while they make rich people more rich.