And most of those "I want it NOW people" also won't tolerate lower
quality. I work for a very succesful fabless semiconductor company
and we deal with this all the time. The consant pressure from
customers to meet every shorter schedules, yet increase quality at the
same time. At some point, something has to give.
I have no issue with the relatively long wait times for SteppIR,
Elecraft, OR Tashjian. My only real issue is with adequate
communications, esp. with respect to delivery dates. I stopped buying
Force 12 stuff because I couldn't get anybody to return my phone calls
or e-mails. If someone tells me it will take 6 months and it takes 7,
that's not too bad. If someone tells me next month and it ends up
being next year then I'm likely to take my business elsewhere.
As I said earlier, my experience with Tashjian 2.5 years ago was not
bad. I'm certainly happy with the product.
On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 10:19 AM, Mike Fatchett W0MU <w0mu@w0mu.com> wrote:
> This is amateur radio with a limited marketplace. Not Xerox.
>
> What is interesting is that those companies are also providing some of the
> best leading edge products in the hobby.
>
> Yes the world if filled with I have to have it now people. If they want to
> sacrifice performance, quality and other things so they can have today so be
> it.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
> [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bob Maser
> Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 10:41 AM
> To: Mike Fatchett W0MU; 'Steve Katz'; 'Kelly Johnson'; 'mrlogs'
> Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tashjian Tower Orders
>
> If Steppir, FlexRadio and Elecraft had shorter leadtimes when they
> introduced their products they would have sold more equipment. Having to
> wait for 6 months or more is a turn-off for most. As I recall, Elecraft
> also allowed you to cut in front of others by allowing them to use your
> money while you were waiting.
>
> Most, if not all of these companies are run by engineers and engineers have
> no concept of practices like Just In Time(JIT)manufacturing, line flow
> balancing, queue elimination, and vendor relationships. They also never
> stop designing the product and this causes delays and increases costs
> because of material that has to be scrapped. When I worked at Xerox in the
> 70's they went to a block cut-in mode when making changes. Any improvement
> to the design was shelved until the next cut-in block and it took an act of
> congress to violate this rule. It is usually easy to spot a company that is
> run by engineers. There is unfinished product lying all over the place
> waiting for parts to arrive from vendors. Work in Process investment is
> usually ignored until someone points out that costs of manufacturing have
> gone through the roof.
>
> Excuse my ramblings,
>
> Bob W6TR
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Fatchett W0MU" <w0mu@w0mu.com>
> To: "'Steve Katz'" <stevek@jmr.com>; "'Kelly Johnson'"
> <n6kj.kelly@gmail.com>; "'mrlogs'" <mrlogs@verizon.net>
> Cc: <towertalk@contesting.com>
> Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 11:35 AM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tashjian Tower Orders
>
>
>> Tell that to SteppIR and Elecraft. You will wait months for many of their
>> products as the demand is far greater than their ability at this time to
>> supply.
>>
>> Do you really expect a small firm to have one or two of everything they
>> offer built and ready for shipping at all times?
>>
>> I would rather wait for a superior product than settle for less because it
>> was available.
>>
>> Tashjian should do a better job at communicating a realistic deliver time.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
>> [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Steve Katz
>> Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 9:23 AM
>> To: Kelly Johnson; mrlogs
>> Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tashjian Tower Orders
>>
>> "Months" is not a reasonable delivery cycle for a product. This obviously
>> implies the product is built one by one, to order, and there is a long
>> queue
>> preceding each.
>>
>> That's unfortunate, because it is a good product but I certainly wouldn't
>> wait "months" for one. When buying anything I always ask not for what I
>> want, but for what the vendor has. "What do you have that you could ship
>> tomorrow?"
>>
>> I guess I'm used to that being in the industry I'm in, where 24 hours lead
>> time is unacceptably long and multimillion dollar contracts are won and
>> lost
>> based on who can ship in 12 hours instead.
>>
>> -WB2WIK/6
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
>> [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com]On Behalf Of Kelly Johnson
>> Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 8:13 AM
>> To: mrlogs
>> Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tashjian Tower Orders
>>
>>
>> You certainly didn't get that from me. As I said, mine came on time and
>> took less than 6 months from the time I first talked to Karl about my
>> tower
>> plans until the time it arrived at my door. Where did you get the 1 to 2
>> year idea?
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Sep 21, 2008 at 4:34 PM, mrlogs <mrlogs@verizon.net> wrote:
>>> OK..So basically..I'll get the tower, etc..Might take a year, year and
>>> a half, 2 years..but I'll get it "eventually".Guess that's OK
>>> then.....I'll just forget about the order for now...and maybe next
>>> Spring, Summer.......who knows?..
>>>
>>> 73'.. Tom N3ZC
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kelly Johnson"
>>> <n6kj.kelly@gmail.com>
>>> To: "mrlogs" <mrlogs@verizon.net>
>>> Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2008 5:41 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tashjian Tower Orders
>>>
>>>
>>>> I did and I had no issues. I bought a brand new LM-354HD Tashjian
>>>> Tower 2.5 years ago. I live only about 2 hours away from Tashjian,
>>>> so they kindly delivered the base fixture a few weeks early, then
>>>> delivered the tower right on schedule the day of the installation.
>>>> K7LXC made a special trip down to the Bay Area from Washington, so
>>>> any delay from Tashjian would have been a disaster. Fortunately,
>>>> they delivered and I couldn't be happier with the tower. It is
>>>> extremely heavy duty, overkill for my case actually.
>>>>
>>>> I must admit, though, that I started talking to Tashjian about my
>>>> tower plans almost 6 months early, right before getting my permit.
>>>> Tashjian sent the full tower specs and drawings with dry stamps about
>>>> 5 months before my install. I used the documents in my permit
>>>> application which I received in early January. The tower went up in
>>>> April without a hitch.
>>>>
>>>> I'm a happy Tashjian customer.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 12:04 PM, mrlogs <mrlogs@verizon.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> OK..has anyone here actually purchased a new tower from Tashjian
>>>>> Tower (not used from somewhere, etc) and if so..how long did it take
>>>>> to get it?..I see lots of comments..no one saying they bought one
>>>>> new from Tashjian Towers (not TriEx)..The comments I've read here
>>>>> implies it's been an exercise in futility?....
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks!.. Tom N3ZC
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> TowerTalk mailing list
>>>>> TowerTalk@contesting.com
>>>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
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