Sales - The Root of Quality Disasters (Ralph Teetor III - Cruise Control Inventor)

Caster

An Early Cover
Trusted Information Resource
#1
I am posting this really old (but good) article on behalf of Ralph Teetor.

I can not find the author on the web so Mr. Teetor, if you see this please let Marc know if you would like it removed.

I find a lot of humor and truth in this article.
 
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Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#2
I OKed this post attachment prior to posting on the condition that the poster cite author or other available information, but not for the Registered User Article forum as I don't feel it is appropriate to submit someone else's work there. I have not seen the article yet and when this thread was first 'quarantined' the attachment was inadvertantly lost, so I don't know what was posted.

Caster, please send me a copy so I can see what the scoop is.
 

Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#4
I had to unattach it for now. I will check with the author and see if it's OK.

I apologise, Caster. I should have asked you to send a copy first when you asked me about posting this. I'll get back with you folks shortly. It is a good read and again, I apologise for the confusion. It is entirely my fault.
 

Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#5
I'm not sure if the fellow who wrote the article is this guy's kin (grandson???) or not yet, but this guy is interesting. From: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1189/is_5_276/ai_n6156000
In December 1902, the New York Herald ran a story about an engineering wunderkind who lived in Hagerstown, Indiana. Twelve-year-old Ralph Teetor had designed and built his own gasoline-powered automobile. He also had built a generator to supply electricity to his home and his neighbors'.

Such feats in themselves were remarkable, yet the newspaper feature somehow omitted mentioning the most amazing fact of all, that Ralph Teetor was totally blind. The reporter apparently had failed to notice.

Anyone who knew Ralph Teetor would have forgiven the oversight, for the boy, who lost his sight at age five, functioned so well that he always enjoyed the frequent opportunities to meet people who either did not realize or did not believe that he could not see.

Though Teeter is little known today outside of engineering circles, he nevertheless ranks among the outstanding automotive pioneers of the 20th century as an inventor, company president and industry leader. His most famous automotive invention was the Speedostat, now known universally as cruise control, but Teetor had other inventions as well. He designed and patented one of the first automatic gear shifts. He built an improved type of lawn mower and even designed a "Suitfolder" suitcase to keep packed clothing from wrinkling. He loved music and theater, speedboats, auto racing, and fishing. He counted among his friends and colleagues automotive leaders such as car builder Fred Dusenberg and Charles Kettering of General Motors.

The story of this remarkable man is told by his daughter, Marjorie Teetor Meyer, in her book, One Man's Vision: The Life of Automotive Pioneer Ralph R. Teetor.
To give you a flavour of the article:
DIE CASTING MANAGEMENT - August 1996 - Page 32
Sales - The Root of Quality Disasters
By Ralph J. Teetor Ill
Manufacturing can make bad castings, but nothing compares to the wreckage created when the Sales deportment accepts a part which is beyond the capability of the Manufacturing arm.

Most quality professionals focus their efforts on preventing defective castings from being made and shipped by Manufacturing. This is because Manufacturing is visible, handy, and makes scrap castings on a routine basis. Quality engineers concentrate on reducing scrap levels and improving manufacturing processes. While these are worthwhile projects, they permit the greatest source of quality disasters to run unchecked.

Sales

Manufacturing can make bad castings, but nothing compares to the wreckage created when the Sales department accepts a part which is beyond the capability of the Manufacturing arm. And they get away with it time and time again. They frequently are praised for their incompetence and given bonuses. Nobody remembers who accepted the job which created the problem in the first place. Instead Manufacturing, Quality, and Engineering get the blame.

Salesmen want to please the customer and bring in work. They do not like to inform customers that specifications are impossible or unrealistic. They view comments along these lines as negative vibes and try to quash them internally. The assumption from Sales is that either the customer did not really want a part with as cast ± 0.001” on a 6” across the parting fine dimension or that Manufacturing will somehow figure out how to make it.

It will all just work out. No need to bother the customer with inconvenient realities. Besides, the customer could draw the conclusion that the salesman was being rude and suggesting that the customer engineer did not know what he was specifying. Salesmen are trained from birth to never be rude to a customer.

As a result of this mind set, salesmen are not aggressive in making sure that Manufacturing sees prints which are being quoted on. While they do not try to hide quotes, they just never get around to asking for a manufacturability assessment before the purchase order is in hand.

By then, it is too late. The firm is committed to making the part on a rigid schedule for a fixed price. What happens next can go either of two ways, both horrible.

Either Manufacturing figures out how to cast the part after huge losses and after destroying the plant’s hard earned reputation. Or the plant fails, the job is lost to a competitor after huge losses and after destroying the plant’s hard earned reputation.

Typically it goes like this.

Manufacturing first sees the print after the job is accepted during the die design meeting. They scream. “This can’t be done!“ Sales poo poos their complaints and implies that Manufacturing is somehow incompetent for even objecting.......
 
R

Ralph Teetor

#7
Re: Sales - The Root of Quality Disasters (Ralph Teetor III - Cruise Control Inventor

I just found this thread in March 2008 in a Google search. Ralph R. Teetor is my grandfather (Ralph J. Teetor)'s brother's son. My full name is Ralph J. Teetor III. You have my permission to post this article in it's entirety & it is still valid.
 

harry

Super Moderator
#8
Re: Sales - The Root of Quality Disasters (Ralph Teetor III - Cruise Control Inventor

I just found this thread in March 2008 in a Google search. Ralph R. Teetor is my grandfather (Ralph J. Teetor)'s brother's son. My full name is Ralph J. Teetor III. You have my permission to post this article in it's entirety & it is still valid.
Welcome Ralph,

Thanks for your generosity and we look forward to see you often. I am sure we have a lot to learn from you.
 

Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#9
Re: Sales - The Root of Quality Disasters (Ralph Teetor III - Cruise Control Inventor

I just found this thread in March 2008 in a Google search. Ralph R. Teetor is my grandfather (Ralph J. Teetor)'s brother's son. My full name is Ralph J. Teetor III. You have my permission to post this article in it's entirety & it is still valid.
Thank you!

Marc

Here is the attachment, sorry for all the confusion.
Do you still have the article by chance, or remember the name of the file?
 
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