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SPC

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Posted by Dizzy:
spc,

I agree that Japanese management style works well for the Japanese auto manufactures. I think that it is imitated but not duplicated by many American companies. Consider the Japanese economy overall. It is not really doing all that well. The countries who exploit their labor force are taking most of the manufacturing jobs. Mostly places like China, Korea, Taiwan, and Mexico. NAFTA and world trade are really hurting our part of the country. Almost monthly we hear of another plant in the region that is closing up shop and moving production over seas.

-Huh? What has the Japanese economy got to do with a management style? The Japanese management style works well because it focuses on the floor person, the guy in the trenches. Whether that is in the US or Antartica makes no difference. Do you know all the ins and outs as to why each of these companies are "closing up shop and moving production over seas"? Do you know that if they would have adopted a different management style that they would not have to close the plant, I sure dont.
The jobs that are being lost are generally associated with industries that choose not to change (textiles etc...) for various reasons. Labor being cheaper in other countries is not the only reason they are getting the work.

The online discount stores are hurting the small stores that try and hold the fish and sell a quality product. We talk a lot, but the bottom line is people want stuff cheap and that is not likely to change any time soon.

-Yea no kidding, I think I have said this exact same thing about 10 times in this forum alone. :?
Steve
 

dizzy

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Steve,(spc)

The single biggest loss to this region was Sumatomo. They made wiring harnesses and other parts for the automotive industry. When they pulled out it cost Kentucky something like 4000 jobs. The reason they gave for leaving was that they could produce the product for about half price over seas. Defintely wasn't a management style issue with this Japanese company. The more automated a factory is the better they can compete. The problem is that people are losing jobs to machines in these situations.

MG
 

SPC

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Posted by Dizzy:
The single biggest loss to this region was Sumatomo. They made wiring harnesses and other parts for the automotive industry. When they pulled out it cost Kentucky something like 4000 jobs. The reason they gave for leaving was that they could produce the product for about half price over seas. Defintely wasn't a management style issue with this Japanese company. The more automated a factory is the better they can compete. The problem is that people are losing jobs to machines in these situations.

-Yes, and they build Japanese, German etc... cars in the US with their high labor costs.
Wiring harnesses are also built at a factory here in my town, the company is doing well. BTW, they were in trouble about 5 years ago until they adopted the Japanese management style, now they compete quite nicely.
Do companies relocate because of labor costs and a need to increase profits, you bet. Do companies relocate because of poor management and antiquated equipment, you bet. But I can tell you this, if the only reason was low labor costs, the US wouldn't have any industry.
Steve
 

PeterIMA

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Jaime asked what happended to the FAO?

For those who don't know, that stands for Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO). Basically, the original plan (before the MAC even existed) in 1996 was that cyanide testing would be implemented, then a FAO would be passed by the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) making it mandatory that Philippine export companies would not receive export permits (required for each shipment) if they did not have a Clearance Certificate from the CDT laboratories run by IMA under contract from BFAR. The idea was that an export company would receive three warnings. Three strikes (Postive tests for cyanide from the CDT laboratories) and the export company would lose its export license.

So what went wrong? First, there was one director of BFAR, Guillermo Morales that would have passed the FAO in 1996-1997. He called the exporters to several meetings in 1996 and read them the riot act. Stop using cyanide, or he would put them out of business with the CDT and the FAO. Unfortunately, he then received lawsuits and death threts. He had a nervous breakdown and resigned. Subsequent, directors of BFAR have called on IMA to prepare the FAO (that BFAR stated it was willing to approve).

However, starting in 1999 they stopped paying IMA the money they had agreed to pay for the work performed under contract by IMA chemists and biologists working for the BFAR/IMA CDT laboratories. In September of2001, Malcolm Sarmiento (present Director of BFAR) decided not to renew the contract with IMA. He stated he intended to maintain the laboratories. I hoped he would hire the IMA staff. The labs closed, and most of the staff were laid off by IMA (we kept many on for another 3-4 months, the head chemist finally resigned from IMA in September 2002). Over the past year and several months, Benita Manipula continued to provide free advice to BFAR. We turned over all the CDT equipment. BFAR has not yet paid IMA about $100,000 dollars USD owed to IMA under the contract that expired in September 2001.

Still, BFAR continued to demand that IMA submit the DRAFT FAO. Does this make sense? Dr. Pratt refuses to submit an FAO. If BFAR was sincere, they would have paid IMA. In any event, BFAR should be able to draft and pass the FAO; if they want to enforce Philippine laws against cyanide use.

BFAR has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) with the MAC. The MAC has taken the position that cyanide testing is not needed just MAC Certification. Paul Holthus even objected to my using the word "Certification" associated with the CDT testing. Hence, the MAC wants the public to associate Certification with a paper trail that we now see associated with the MAC chain of custody. The paper trail is unworkable, and there is no test and no FAO in place to stop the trade and the MAC from "Greenwashing". There is no way to independently verify whether or not fish that are certified as being sustaiably caught (net-caught) actually are or not.

Personally, I feel the MAC Certification could work if there also was a cyanide test and an FAO to help back it up. Otherwise, MAC Certification will eventually fail.

Peter Rubec
 

mkirda

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jamesw":exq621zn said:
Boy, you guys are going to shotgun blast me for oversimplifying this - but heck, this is a perfect example of how MAC certification SHOULD and will work - if we give it a chance.

Cheers
James

And James breaks out into song...

All we are saaayyyy-ing..... Is give MAC a chance....

Sorry...
{snicker}
 

MaryHM

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:lol:

Rarely does anything on this board strike me as laugh out loud funny. Thank you for the belated Christmas present!!
 

clarionreef

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Posts from 2002;
And so it came to pass....as we knew it would.
The only thing certifiable is the failure of his inept group to implement any of the notions written down on paper.

4 years ago we were pleaded with to give MAC a chance....
fair enough.

Steve
 

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