Destroying complex institutions, factories, processes, relationships is easy….any fool can do this, even just neglect and time will do this. (see Republicans, tRump, Fools, MBA’s for examples)
Turning a factory on, increasing production of needed items, improving processes…..well that is often much, much harder and not understood by the C-Suite Stuffed Suit Entitled and Lazy Wealthy Scions of Amerikka.
Now I have always worked in manufacturing and production, everything from herding sheep (watch a shearing operation and see a real factory!) to pouring mud (concrete) to semi-conductor manufacturing to avionics equipment to milling to electronics PCBA (computer boards) assembly.
I have helped define process, build, test, and ship items from bags of wool to semi-conductor chips to Glass Panel cockpits to medical devices; I am a “Roving Engineer going where the Harvest is”.
And turning a process, a factory, a production line on (or increasing output) is no trivial task.
The level of co-operation, planning, scheduling, testing, is….well it really is rocket science in almost every way and not to be lightly scoffed at or disparged in this interconnected world.
The idea that the manufacturers of ventilators and other medical equipment can just “turn the factory on or up” shows a lack of understanding” that frightens me (a Engineer of 40+ years experience)...too many years of the Chicago School of Austrian Economics has left us with a corrupted view that the primary and only purpose is to maximize profits.
This corrosion has left us with a lack of respect for line workers, techs, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, chemists, and a low number of skilled workers; the lauding of MBA’s and Finance is a Zero sum game in almost every way.
This loss of societal respect has led to underpaid, overworked, and unappreciated manufacturing positions…..no who has to be the most trustworthy of people in a corporation???….the janitor since they have access to most everything. Who gets the least pay and respect...the janitor (p.s. they also clean the bathrooms where you hope to not get Corona Virus).
Turning on a factory is very complex, especially for a production of a complex fully functional device….do you have the correct drawings to build to, are they understandable, what are the critical dimensions (modern equipment has very tight tolerances), what are the quality requirements, how do test it, what about the supply chain for parts, what sub-assemblies built by an outside contractor (have you given them the right information to succeed)...that just at the front end, before you even start trying to build it….then do you have the correct tools, techniques, what about the daily resolution of problems (have enough Engineers to skate from machine to machine to resolve problems).
Turning factories off is fairly easy (expect for waste to be cleaned up, equipment to be sold to China, etc.)
Modern factories also run lean, as is at 85-95% capacity….so speeding up the line and trying get more out is not really possible (also what about the supply chain) and usually leads to errors, defects which have to be fixed, and….well these are medical devices so they must function correctly otherwise someone can get hurt…..now do this all the while some cheapskate pResident is whining about cost and non-recoverable engineering charges and how he is not a “Delivery Boy” (he would fail at delivery I am quite certain).
I hope various factories can increase output, streamline production lines, reduce Takt time, resolve issues on a timely basis…...and will applaud as they work on since I do know how difficult this is.
They too serve who toil in the background building items from mundane to complex.
And true leadership will be needed and should follow the following ethos:
“A true leader looks out the window at all the workers and says success is because of their efforts, sweat, and tears…...and in failure this leader looks in the mirror and admits it was their error”