All,
While I wish the best for both companies (especially Ten-Tec), I have
concerns with any merger. I am retired and went through two merges/buy
outs. Neither one was pleasant.
First, most companies merge to reduce costs. That cost comes in several
forms including reduction of personnel. For instance, if you have a
software engineering department in both companies, the first thing the new
management will do is to merge those two departments into a single
department, reduce duplication, and usually lay someone off. The same thing
happens to a lot of other departments. Management is usually short sighted
enough to think that one software engineer is the same as another software
engineer. They think that a person who designs software for an Intel based
product can immediately jump in and start designing for a different
processor. Of course that kind of thinking creates quality issues.
Besides combining departments, another way the merger saves money is by
combining benefit packages. If one of the companies has a better benefit
package, management will always choose to keep the benefit package of the
company with the lower benefits.
Elimination of overlap is also a way to save money. Since RF Concepts
specialty is amplifiers, why would you keep the Ten-Tec amp people? If I
was an amp designer for Ten-Tec, I would be worried.
That brings us up to a problem which usually can't be avoided. Some people
will become nervous about their job and leave on their own. Unfortunately,
it is usually the more talented people who leave. They basically just get
tired of the BS and go find another job. When they leave, a vacuum is
created and probably cannot be filled. How do you replace a person who has
been working for you for 15 years? That is very hard to do.
Some people think that this reduction of personnel is good for companies -
it keeps them lean. However, others (and I fall into that category) do not
think disrupting peoples lives is a good thing. Intel Corporation,
evaluates all personnel every year, ranks them according to skill level,
work ethic, etc., and then lays off the lowest 10%. It doesn't matter if
they are producing. They just happened to land in the lowest 10%. Some
other companies do the same.
I may be dead wrong here and I hope I am. But, I have seen it happen so
much that I am skeptical of any buyout or merger. Time will tell us whether
I am right or wrong. Good luck to Ten-Tec. May they stay healthy and
building great radios for many more years.
Jerry W5JH
"building something without experimenting is just solder practice"
-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of John Henry
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 1:25 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: [TenTec] Alpha Amplifiers and TEN-TEC Merge
TEN-TEC brands will continue on for many many years to come.
Alpha brands will continue on for many many years to come.
This is a great merger of two great companies that have been in the amateur
business for 40+ years each individually.
Still continuing on their own brands in the amateur market and also in the
commercial market.
Combining strengths to be even stronger.
Technologies and experience that TEN-TEC has Alpha can now leverage.
Technologies and experience that Alpha has TEN-TEC can now leverage.
We now have a larger and more experience software staff than before, think
of what can be imagined and made reality then.
Combining the RF and electrical teams, wow.
Can't really comment more.
You all now know the big announcement, well, actually both of them.
The merger, and the new 507. I'm sure there are other things that will
follow suit.
Of course, yes, takes some time to merge the working groups. But it
definitely won't take two years, I see new products from this venture out
much much quicker than that.
ok, back to work, software to write, projects to continue, etc.
As you can tell, really busy, so may not be able to answer on here much
until after Dayton.
I'm excited.
Thanks, and 73,
John Henry, KI4JPL
TEN-TEC Engineering
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