Motorcycle manufacturing.

Industrial democracy has a role to play in economic success. Most innovations come from the shop floor. Capitalists need to work with the unions, not against them. - John Howard has said that Bob Hawke was Australia's best ever Labor Prime MInister. But with neoliberalism and The Accord, Hawke and Keating threw our unions under a bus - What has happened to prices and incomes in Australia ? -

Some might suggest this topic is a tad political…

Does it express political bias ?

Economics often resemble politics. The two go together hand in glove. I do not care who is in government, because while our adcversarial mindset is constant, the result will always be the same. When I work, I work to benefit the organisation. Politics do not come into the equation. If there is a union, I work with them. There is no need to ever get stupid.

With any Politian's involved in a rant is politics no matter what, look what's happening in the world today no matter who is in power we are the losers.

It is easy to look on the dark side of anything. During my life I learned two important lessons - 'The system runs on bullshit' and 'if you have a victim's mindset, you will be a victim'. What man has invented, man can invent again. We all need to rise above our difficulties. In the UK, there are such people as Molnar, Summerfield, Nourish, Seeley and Surtess. They are like busses - 'there is always another one coming along'. Some things do not happen, unless we make conditions right for them to happen.
Motorcycle road racing is a frivolous pastime, however like war, it is where a lot of technology comes from. If you race, you can influence the format of the available race classes.

Just Put your FINGER There ! .

After All , they Invented the Saftey Bicycle .









Used to build STEAM TRAINS in NEW ZEALAND .



Now the build so much alcohol theyve forgoten how to build anything ,

A lot of things depend on mindset. In Australia, business excellence has always been bullshit. Employers require workers to be qualified, but many jobs are de-skilled. Our kids go to university to get better jobs, but they are being deceived. The way to get the best jobs is to study part-time while working, then employers will always want you. Lots of people have university degrees but not so many also have experience.
Progressively over the years, our system has moved towards elitism - no-one wants to get their hands dirty.
I worked for about 40 years, mainly in large engineering factories. I am a scientist middle-manager, but I do not regard myself as being different from any other worker. My problem is I can see potential, but also lost opportunities.
If we want to build motorcycles, perhaps we should import motors and make the rest ? But in doing that, inferior metallurgy in the motors might bring us undone.

acotrel said:

A lot of things depend on mindset. In Australia, business excellence has always been bullshit. Employers require workers to be qualified, but many jobs are de-skilled. Our kids go to university to get better jobs, but they are being deceived. The way to get the best jobs is to study part-time while working, then employers will always want you. Lots of people have university degrees but not so many also have experience.
Progressively over the years, our system has moved towards elitism - no-one wants to get their hands dirty.
I worked for about 40 years, mainly in large engineering factories. I am a scientist middle-manager, but I do not regard myself as being different from any other worker. My problem is I can see potential, but also lost opportunities.
If we want to build motorcycles, perhaps we should import motors and make the rest ? But in doing that, inferior metallurgy in the motors might bring us undone.

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The British have always made better frames. Build on our strengths ?

When I was about to build my Seeley 850, I looked at a Jawa speedway motor. But in those days historic racing had stared and there was no other classes in which I could have raced it. A Seeley with a 500cc Jawa motor and a 6 speed close ratio TT1 gearbox, would be a real whiz.

To my mind, killing-off engineering businesses is stupidity. However in Australia blue-collar workers are often union members. Is this plotocs or simply idiotic economics justified on the basis of politics ?

The Japanese are obviously smarter than Australians - Perhaps some things should never be said ?

What does 'attention to detail' mean, when the ISO9000 definition of 'quality' is 'fit for purpose' ? At a stretch, almost anything is 'fit for purpose'. In Australia GNH and FOrd sold us crap for decades. The last Holden which was made in Australia was almost decent. The Japanese always out-classed them by miles. Our whole industrial system is disingenuous. To get a job in Australia, our kids need university degrees. WHY ?

acotrel said:

To my mind, killing-off engineering businesses is stupidity. However in Australia blue-collar workers are often union members. Is this plotocs or simply idiotic economics justified on the basis of politics ?

Click to expand...

Agreed. Yes ‘out of touch’ management was a big factor in Brit (and I assume Oz) manufacturing decline. They were out of touch both with their customers and with the realities of what was happening on the shop floor. The top Japanesee company’s really live a philosophy of customer first, and of leaders spending much of the time at the shop floor. Not just wondering around having chats, but looking at problems, and improvement opportunities, and actively involving and encouraging workers to participate and contribute.

But as well as the above, many people do like to conveniently overlook the dreadful impact that unions had. They stifled attempts to improve that made life saving interactions impossible. Many unions were / are more focused on attacking the ‘enemy’ being the capitalist lead management, than they are on genuinely ensuring the long term prosperity of their members. This still goes on today.

I worked as a middle manager / scientist in large engineering factories for about 40 years. My job usually involved developing materials and processes, safety and quality. I often worked alongside and above trades people and process workers. In any given situation, there must always be a balance between democracy and control. Unions are a legitimate expression of industrial democracy. In later life, I worked as technical writer / quality manager for a medium sized private engineering company. If the boss suspected somebody was talking unionism, he used to sidle up to them and offer them a month's pay, so they could look for another job. They always accepted his offer. While I was there, I used to inspect large gas-fired aluminium melting furnaces. I'd had a bit to do with wellding but I went to the local TAFE and got an Inspexctor's ticket. While I was there, most of the other guys in the class were gas pipeline welders. I mentioned to one of them what my boss did to unionists. The guy said 'he can't do that' - but the truth was what my boss did was completely legal under the then current dismissal laws. The trouble was that most Australian employers were simply too stupid. Our laws than changed and unions almost became illegal. But that was actually counter-productive. When you are making things, university-educated engineers and scientists need feed-back from the shop floor. The question becomes 'are you asking me, or telling me ?'.
The Japanese are smarter - their controls are internalised.

One factory in which I worked was close to Flemington Racecourse. During the Spring Racing Carnival, there is a ladies' day known as The Oaks. We never used to plan to do anything in the factory on that day, because there would always be a strike. We just used to work around it. If we were silly, we probably would have got upset and increased our losses. It was one day a year, and not worrying about it probavbly made the other ranks happier. It is easy to be penny-wise and pound foolish.
When I work, I am very cynical. I don't cop any shit. But other people also have their needs. In Australia, we are not so class-conscious.
In several factories in which I worked, we had the complete Britsh trades' and professional structures. And did similar bullshit with unions.
In the private enineering company, I had two bosses who did the same job. The younger one was afraid he might make a mistake during a meeting and the guys might laugh at him. He had the power to sack them. So who would be laughing ? - A lot of problems are all in the mind.