Re: [Leica] A most daring proposition.veering off on a tangent.

["Dan Post" <dwpost@email.msn.com>]

Dan C;
At one time it was fashionable to produce all your supplies. The inimitable
Henry Ford at one time owned iron mines, rubber plantations, and steel mills
to insure a steady supply of materials, so he could not be squeezed by a
supplier. The recent commercial for a car where the Japanese board is
sitting around a table discussing valves, and one man shamefacedly admits
that the price seems high, but the vendor is their only source- then a
bright young man chirps in that a supplier in Texas can sell them valves at
half the price.
This is a very good illustration of how business, especially in the global
economy, is being done now. Most companies buy parts from several sources so
as not to be squeezed and subbing out assemplies is nothing new. Leica, can
be faulted, however, in the R8 Motor Drive, in that the delayed delivery was
blamed on a supplier that went belly up or was not able to complete the
contract for a major piece.... second source the commonly used screws and
stampings, make your own major assemblies... I think the new management,
however, will correct a lot of things in the coming months of operation.
Dan



- ----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Cardish <dcardish@microtec.net>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Sunday, August 01, 1999 9:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Leica] A most daring proposition.


> What about other camera companies from Japan that seem to be able to put
> together a camera without all the acecdotal problems you speak of
> concerning Leica Camera?  Do Minolta and Nikon and Canon produce all their
> own screws and gears and washers?
>
> Just to be clear about this, I accept everything Erwin has stated.  And I
> don't value my Solm produced HM any less because there are non Leica
> manufactured screws and washers in it.  On the contrary.  Leica makes
> cameras, not screws.
>
> Dan C.
>
>  At 09:59 AM 01-08-99 EDT, you wrote:
> >
> >It is likely the Leitz family produced everything that went into the
Leica
> so
> >the purchaser could be certain he or she was receiving products that
would
> >work rather than farming out parts production and then hoping the parts
> would
> >be finished to Leitz quality.  Current problems that are regularly noted
on
> >the LUG board indicate just how difficult it is to successfully farm out
> >production of close tolerance parts.  Those who manufacture the parts
sold
> to
> >Solms want every part accepted by Solms since that increases the subs'
> >profits and it then becomes the costly job of Solms to carefully check
each
> >part it has farmed out rather than making the part correctly in-house.
> Thus,
> >Mr. Puts advises us that Solms has become an assembler rather than a
> >manufacturer and is dependent upon outside sources for the parts that it
> >assembles into cameras that it sells.
> [snip]